


Couldn't be a Stranger

by Kivea



Category: South Park
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Family Drama, Family Dynamics, I'm going to TRY at least, M/M, Romantic Comedy, Slow Burn, i guess??
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-01
Updated: 2020-07-16
Packaged: 2021-02-27 10:22:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 65,732
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22075411
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kivea/pseuds/Kivea
Summary: Need fake-boyfriend for family Christmas. Free ride, free meal, free gifts.Kyle had clicked on the post out of curiosity. Out of boredom. The prospect of spending a week with a stranger seemed better than a week alone at the time. He hadn't expect to know the stranger. Otherwise, he wouldn't have agreed.But he had agreed. And it found him in the childhood home of Craig Tucker, pretending to be his boyfriend for Christmas.
Relationships: Kyle Broflovski/Craig Tucker
Comments: 201
Kudos: 373





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I know it's a bit late for Christmas but!! The Cryle discord gave me such a wonderful idea that was going to be a chapter-fic that I just HAD to go with it. So, happy belated holidays folks!

Tired green eyes scanned the white computer monitor as the page scrolled down and through mindless listings and posts of social media. It was two days before Christmas Eve, and Kyle Broflovski found himself alone. Alone and sat at his computer searching for some kind of social interaction after so long being alone in his student flat. His dorm mates had left for the holidays, wrapping up and saying their goodbyes a few days before. His best friend had even offered that they went home together, but… 

He heaved a sigh and resigned himself to continuing to scroll through Facebook. It was his own decision to not go. Even with Stan, it wasn’t worth it. 

The thought of the other man had him looking at the time, trying to judge what time it would be where Stan was. He probably would’ve only just landed. About to be accosted by his melodramatic dad who would keep him occupied for a bit. Still unavailable to entertain his bored friend. 

Kyle flicked between some websites, moving over to the student noticeboard page. He knew last year there were groups of people who advertised different events that were happening during the Winter break. With any luck, there would be _something_ to keep him occupied and not totally bored out his mind. 

He wasn’t wrong. There were a few things. Maybe it was just the mind-set he was in, but nothing sounded appealing. He didn’t know the people hosting various meals out, and drinking with a bunch of college students for Christmas just sounded dire at this point. 

He should’ve scrolled past the one that he stopped at, but it was so absurd that he just had to look. 

_Need fake-boyfriend for family Christmas. Free ride, free meal, free gifts._

He scowled at the advert. What kind of weird prank was this? Who would want to take some random person home for Christmas to be a fake-boyfriend? 

He clicked on it. 

The advert was brief. Alarmingly brief. Posted by user Tucker C., it didn’t really expand on what the title had been. There was an edit to the post that specified you had to at least be willing to pretend to be a little bit gay, because the poster was a man. 

Kyle didn’t have any concerns with that. He already was a little bit gay. 

There was a number at the bottom of the advert. He was mostly just curious. 

_You want a fake boyfriend for the holidays for how long??_

The response came half an hour later. He’d long since turned his computer off and assumed that the person had probably already left with their fake-boyfriend, if the role had been filled. Instead he was sat in front of the TV with a bowl of cereal wasting time in another manner. 

It took him a moment to realise what the answer was for, but when he did he jumped up to respond. 

_1 week. Leave tomorrow_ _at 10:00. U in?_

He stared down at the address listed where the guy must live. He looked up at the TV, mindless Christmas films on echoing around the empty dorm. 

_Sure._ _Gotta_ _beat doing nothing._

\--

Kyle had spent the rest of his night packing. It kept him busy, and kept him from regretting agreeing. When he woke up the next morning and was sat once again in front of the TV watching Christmas specials of news programmes while eating cereal on his own, he definitely didn’t regret agreeing. He was all too eager to get out the house and walk over to the address that he’d been given. 

On the walk over it was less regret and more nervousness that he was feeling. He realised he didn’t know much of anything about Tucker C., and hoped that the guy wasn’t a total asshole. At least agreeable enough to spend a week with. And his family? 

It would still be more entertaining than sitting on his own in the flat for the next week. 

It wasn’t until he was walking up towards the lone car in the car park, duffle bag hanging off his shoulder, that he began to feel creeping regret. Because it wasn’t just some random person that he’d never met before. He _did_ know the guy who was loading a suitcase into the boot of his car, tall with dark hair and a worn black denim jacket that really needed replacing. 

He took a deep breath and powered through the regret that had begun to seep through and walked up to the car and cleared his throat to get the guy’s attention. 

“Your surname’s…Tucker?” 

That told him what the ‘C’ stood for, at least. Cunt. 

The man turned round and the stormy eyes landed on him, and Kyle wished he’d turned around and left once he realised who it was. The look of utter disgust that crossed his face at the sight of the redhead was anything _but_ flattering, even if it was mutual. 

“Great. That’s – you put in for the fake-boyfriend, right?” 

“That depends, are you the one who replied?” 

“I am, yeah.” 

“Then no. I changed my mind. I’ll tell them my boyfriend died.” 

It was the melodramatic yet monotone response he’d come to expect from the man. 

So maybe he was exaggerating their relationship a little bit. He didn’t really have a problem with Craig, or at least he hadn’t until Craig had decided they did. Kyle had just been someone sat on the side-lines, someone who was never going to try and make friends with Craig, but was never going to actively antagonise him. 

Craig had a rocky relationship with Stan as neighbours in the dorms in first year. They argued, fell out, that was that. Then Stan had suggested Craig helped them with a project a few months later, and the man had agreed, which was a miracle in itself. But then it…went badly. 

Badly as in, they’d ended up detained being questioned by police one by one. 

Ever since Craig had avoided them all like the plague. Which was…understandable, but he’d apologised! There was no need to hold a grudge like Craig did. 

“You can’t just tell your family your boyfriend died.” 

“Sure I can.” 

“Well you shouldn’t!” Kyle insisted as Craig shut his boot, following the man round to the driver’s side door. “How did I die?” 

“Freak lightning storm.” 

“That would’ve been covered on the news.” 

“Maybe they missed it.” 

“C’mon, Craig, at least come up with a real alibi.” 

Craig turned, glared down at him, and said: “I’ve got time to plan. Bye.” 

He got in the car, and shut the door. 

The sensible thing would’ve been to leave. Resign himself to spending the holidays stewing in his own boredom. But Craig hadn’t started the engine yet. He just had his hands wrapped around the wheels as he glared through the front window, not looking at Kyle. 

He knocked on the window. Craig’s grip on the wheel tightened. He knocked twice more. 

Nothing. 

Kyle leant back, looking around the deserted car park just to make sure it _was_ deserted before he embarrassed himself. As much as the idea of a week with Craig was unappealing, so was a week with no one. 

He leant forward and raised his voice as he spoke. “Dude, at least wind the window down.” 

He got the middle finger through the window. 

“Real mature.” 

Nothing. Fuck. 

“I’m not gonna force you to take me, but at least let’s talk about it.” 

Craig’s glare landed on him and after a few long moments, the window began to wind down. 

“Thank you.” 

“Why?” 

“Why what?” 

“Why do you still want to come?” 

The question caught him off guard. He didn’t really have an answer. He gave a helpless shrug. 

“The idea of spending an entire week with you sickens me.” 

“Do you have any other options?” Kyle asked, gesturing around them. “You’re not actually going to tell your family your boyfriend died, and I’m the only one here.” 

Craig turned away again. 

It was quiet enough for Kyle to give up. It was probably for the best. Craig clearly didn’t like him, and as much as it pained him to spending the next week bored out his mind, it was the better option. Being a fake-boyfriend for someone he not only hardly knew but also didn’t get on with was a terrible idea, really. It would save them both a lot of embarrassment and trouble to just – 

“Put your shit in the boot.” 

He looked up with wide eyes. “Excuse me?” 

“I said put your shit in the boot,” Craig repeated, still not looking at him. “Jesus, just – hurry up, will you?” 

As he opened the boot the car started and he jumped a mile in the air as he thought he was going to get run over. He jumped in the passenger side and fastened his seatbelt quickly as Craig started driving without waiting. 

The dark haired student still wasn’t looking at him. Though he had more of an excuse now he was driving. 

“So…” 

“Are you going to be chatty for the whole journey down?” 

“We do need to do some talking,” Kyle reasoned. “I don’t know anything about this fake-boyfriend you’ve been building up to your family. I’ve got to know a little bit about it.” 

“Ugh, fine, you’re right, whatever,” Craig ran a hand through his hair. The glare was still on his face. “This is fucking crazy.” 

“Yeah. It is. So…?” 

“My mom thinks I’ve been dating someone since some time last year. She wanted to meet him over the summer holidays, but I dodged it.” 

“So we’ve been dating for about a year?” 

Craig grimaced. 

“Get used to it, I’m officially your boyfriend for a week.” 

“Jesus, is it too late to turn around?” 

“Why’ve you been lying to your mom about dating someone?” 

Craig shrugged it off. “It’s just – a thing, okay? You’re not here to quiz me, you’re here to pretend to be my boyfriend and then go back to not talking to me after the week is up, okay?” 

Kyle sighed and slunk back into his seat. “Fine, fine. At least tell me about your family. No matter how causal our relationship is, I’d know about your family if you’re taking me home for the holidays.” 

“They’re…I’ve been told my sister and I are similar.” 

Dear _fuck_ what did he sign up to? 

“She’s called Tricia. You should call her Ruby.” 

“Why Ruby?” 

“It’s like a family nickname.” 

“Alright, sure. What about your mom and dad?” 

“Laura and Thomas. Mum works in a bank. Dad’s like a mechanic.” 

“That’s pretty cool.” 

“Sure.” 

Kyle resisted the urge to smile as he saw Craig’s eyes finally flicker over to him for the briefest moment. “You do theoretical physics, right?” 

“Yeah. And you have an undeclared major.” 

Kyle faltered. Craig smirked. 

“Most people chose by the end of their first year, you know that. Right?” 

“I don’t want to rush it,” Kyle insisted. “It’s not something you should rush.” 

"For someone who always seems so confident and sure of himself, you’re not very sure, huh?" 

“Not all of us knew what they wanted to do when they started.” 

Craig clucked his tongue. “Whatever you say, slow-poke.” 

“How do you know anyway?” 

“Who doesn’t know? You’re at least leaning towards a stem subject, because I see you in my classes.” 

“We share classes?” 

Craig rolled his eyes. “Yes, we share classes. You fucking asshole.” 

“That’s not what I – I’m sorry, I didn’t...” 

“It’s fine.” 

“Is it going to be a problem for your parents?” 

Craig glanced over with a raised brow. 

“Me not having a major?” 

He shrugged. “Dunno. I guess we’ll find out.” 

“I guess.” 

“Why aren’t you spending the holidays at home?” 

Kyle shifted awkwardly. “I don’t usually. It’s a long way to travel.” 

“You live where Stan lives, right? Can’t be that far. He’s gone home.” 

“What was it you said about not quizzing and going back to not talking once the week was up?” 

“Touché.” 

Kyle glanced over at the satnav, reading the journey time as just over four hours. It gave them plenty of time to get comfortable with each other he supposed, but Craig didn’t really seem all that keen on getting comfortable. Maybe it would give them enough time to form some kind of friendship. He didn’t know how he’d be able to keep up being into someone who clearly didn’t like him for a solid week otherwise. 

“A full week of pretending to like me. Think you’re up for the challenge?” 

“Like you said, I don’t have a lot of other options. Are you?” 

“How hard can it be, right?” 

Craig gave a low groan. “Maybe ‘died’ would’ve been more believable.” 

He was inclined to agree this time. 

He continued to probe Craig for snippets of information for the next half hour, attempting to cram as much information into his brain as possible. When he asked Craig if there was anything he wanted to know, the taller man simply said he’d probably forget it anyway. And Kyle supposed he was right. How likely was someone’s favourite colour going to come up in conversation? 

He didn’t even notice how tired he was after it all until he fell asleep. 

He woke up hours later in a completely unfamiliar place. He attempted to find some kind of familiarity between all the snow covered trees there were passing, but it was hard to find something to grasp to. The closest thing was the driver, eyes focused on the road. Kyle took the chance to take in the look of the man fully. 

Craig had the look of someone who would judge you for stepping one foot too close into his comfort zone. Hell, he had the look of someone who would judge you for whatever excuse he could find. He was the kind of guy Kyle couldn’t imagine without a resting bitch face. Strong jaw, defined nose, but in a way that was more attractive than Kyle’s own. One thick eyebrow was framed by silver balls and Kyle had a suspicion that once upon a time there had been earrings on at least one ear. 

It was always his mouth that had caught Kyle’s attention. Craig seemed pretty inexpressive at times, but his lips always twitched in ways that betrayed a little bit. It was unique. 

“Someone tried to phone you.” 

Kyle turned away with a flush. He didn’t realise Craig knew he was awake. 

When nothing more was said Kyle fished his phone out the jacket that was on the ground. It had been Stan. Probably to tell him he arrived and was being driven crazy by his dad already. “Do you mind if I...?” 

Craig waved his consent. 

It only took two rings before Stan picked up. 

_“Dude holy shit it’s been like five minutes and he’s already driving me crazy.”_

Kyle couldn’t help but laugh. “I had a feeling that was going to be it.” 

_“Your dad’s here now. So at least they’re not bothering me anymore._ _”_

“Small blessings I guess. Was your flight okay?” 

_“Yeah, it was fine. Mom picked me up._ _How’s being alone in dorms?”_

He put on his most honest voice. “Nice and quiet. I’m sorry for not coming back with you.” 

_“Don’t worry dude, I get it._ _I’ve already got my statement prepared for when your mom asks.”_

“Thanks for covering me. I think she probably knows.” 

_“I was surprised your dad didn’t say anything.”_

“He’s probably just pretending it’s not happening.” 

_“You can’t avoid them forever, dude.”_

Kyle turned towards the window, as if looking away from Craig would stop him hearing. “I know. I won’t. Just...until I pick my major.” 

_“Another thing you can’t avoid forever.”_

There was a nudge in his arm. He looked up to see a large sign welcoming them, SOUTH PARK written in bold letters. He took the cue. “I know. Look, I gotta go. I’m trying to watch TV here.” 

_“Jeez, thanks. Glad to know how much I mean to you.”_

“Later dude. Good luck.” 

_“Yeah, later.”_

Craig didn’t comment on the conversation once he hung up. Kyle had no way of knowing how much of Stan he had heard over the radio that had been quietly playing in the background without asking, something he was loathed to do. Instead he stayed quiet and took in the town they’d just driven into. 

It was quaint. Probably a good way to describe it. As they drove further through the town the buildings began to change to newer, flashier shops and chains, people milling about on all corners and chatting. 

“There’s always something new,” Craig grumbled. “Ever since the old scientist on the hill died and his lab was made into some kind of tourist attraction.” 

“That’s why the name’s familiar!” Kyle looked to the driver with a grin. “The freaky ass-man!” 

“Christ, don’t say it like that.” 

“But it’s true, right? He was pretty famous. Post-death, that is.” 

“My family’s just...moms protective over his reputation.” 

“Shit, really? Did you know him?” 

A red hue started to take over Craig’s cheeks. “Unfortunately.” 

He decided not to press it as rows of residential houses began to come into view. “Which one is yours?” 

“You’ll see it in a second. Look, just...” Craig let out an annoyed sound. The colour in his cheeks hadn’t died down, and his knuckles were going white with how tight he was gripping the steering wheel. “My dad...is a bit of a redneck. So don’t take offense if he says anything weird.” 

“Got it. Pinch of salt.” 

“And I’m not known for being warm, even towards my boyfriends.” 

“Why am I not surprised? “ 

“But...” Kyle swore the colour in his cheeks darkened further. “Just, don’t be surprised when I hold your hand or something, okay?” 

Kyle gave a laugh that hopefully wasn’t as nervous as he felt. “That’s normal. Why would I be surprised?” 

“Just. I feel like I should say it before. Are you ready?” 

Kyle looked beyond Craig towards the house, seeing the curtains flutter. He took in a deep breath and forced a smile as he lied and said: “Sure. You?” 

“Ready as I’ll ever be. Let’s go.” 

Craig got out the car and opened the boot to get their things, Kyle following close behind. He shivered low as he pulled his jacket back on to protect him from the dry, cold air. He hoped he’d packed enough warm things for this place. 

Craig handed him his bag and locked the car up, heading up the path first to the door. 

“Is there anything you’ve told them about, well, me?” 

“It’s a bit late for that,” Craig hissed. “But no. I’ve always been...kind of vague.” 

“Well, that’s good.” 

As soon as Craig’s hand were around the door handle Kyle felt a sinking in his stomach. He opened his mouth to delay, to do anything. But Craig was one step ahead of him: a step into the house. 

He sucked in a breath through his teeth and followed over the threshold. 

“I’m home,” Craig announced to the room, dropping his backpack on the floor to take off his coat and shut the door behind Kyle. The redhead took in the room in front of him as he shrugged his own jacket off again. 

It was...not very Craig-like, though that wasn’t really surprising. A typical, family home. Family photos framing the wall, with a display cabinet that housed dining ware and a couple of model ships, some in glass bottles. A large TV and dvd collection in front of a cream sofa. The dining table was set, and at the table there was a larger ginger man sat with a paper, who hadn’t acknowledged them coming in beyond a grunt. 

From an archway where he could see the kitchen a woman emerged, wearing a pretty green dress, with long blonde hair and pearls round her neck. There was a smile on her face as she approached them with open arms. 

“Welcome home, did you have a safe drive?” 

“We wouldn’t be here if we didn’t, mom.” 

“You’ve been back in this house less than five minutes and you already have an attitude,” she scolded, but the smile didn’t disappear as she turned to Kyle expectantly. “You must be Craig’s boyfriend!” 

“Kyle, this is my mom. Laura.” 

Kyle outstretched a hand with a smile on his face. “Hi, Laura. It’s nice to meet you.” 

“Its nice to meet you too, Kyle,” she took his hand in both of hers and gave a tight squeeze. “Thank you so much for coming round for Christmas. I hope your family isn’t too disappointed you aren’t spending it with them?” 

“No, they’re fine with it. Thanks for having me.” 

“You have a surname, Kyle?” 

He looked over to see the redhead man at the table who had finally looked up, blue eyes piercing just like his son’s. Kyle cleared his throat before he spoke. “Kyle Broflovski. Its Jewish.” 

“Jewish?” Laura repeated, glancing between the two boys at her door. “Craig didn’t mention you were Jewish.” 

The man at the table scoffed and flicked his paper. “Of course, like it’s not something important. So good at speaking, is our Craig.” 

“Fuck you, dad.” 

Kyle felt his back tense up, eyes widening as he glanced between Craig and his dad, waiting for something to happen. But nothing did. Craig’s dad barely looked up as he raised a middle finger in his son’s direction. 

Laura’s response nearly had him flinch. “Well, shit. I’ve bought bacon for breakfast - that’s - I’m getting that right, yeah? You can’t eat some foods?” 

“No worries, I’ll have his.” 

“No you won’t,” she slapped Craig’s arm. “Cheeky little shit, you’re not getting rewarded for not telling me something.” 

“Its alright. I’m not – you don’t have to worry about kosher food or anything. I’m not that strict with my diet.” 

“Thank god for that. Come in, come in, don’t just stand at the door, do you want a drink, Kyle?” 

Kyle accepted the offer and moved properly into the house with Craig right behind him. He got comfortable on the couch and managed to stop himself jumping as Craig flopped down and laid an arm across the back. 

It was normal. This was normal. They were boyfriends. 

“Dinner will be ready soon, and your sister should be back too. She’s running late.” 

“Always late. She’s got no timekeeping, that girl.” 

“Not now, Thomas. We have a guest. One you haven’t introduced yourself to yet, what, has somebody died that’s got you so glued to that paper?” 

It was the first real expression that Kyle had seen on Mr Tucker’s face and it was embarrassment. He got up and folded up his paper, shuffling over to the couch in order to offer a handshake to Kyle under his wife’s disapproving gaze. 

“Thomas,” he said. “Thanks for coming home with Craig for the holidays. I think if I had to listen to his mom complain she hadn’t met you again I’d pop my own eardrums.” 

Laura threw her hands in the air before disappearing into the kitchen again. Thomas sat in the arm chair that faced the sofas, turning to Craig with his stoic expression back in place. 

“How’s college?” 

“Good.” 

“Still passing? Going to all your classes?” 

“Yes, I’m going to all my classes.” 

Thomas made a suspicious humming noise and glanced at Kyle with a raised eyebrow. 

“He does,” Kyle confirmed. “He’s really very smart. Helps me sometimes when I’m struggling with the classes we share.” 

“You do that physics stuff too?” 

He hesitated. “Uh, not...exactly.” 

“Kyle’s not chosen his major yet. Don’t make it weird.” 

Thomas scowled at his son. “Why would I make it weird?” 

“You always make it weird.” 

“I’m not going to make it weird. I’m just surprised. I thought he was in your year.” 

“He is.” 

“Huh. It’s not one of those...” Thomas gestured to Craig. “Y’know. Things.” 

Craig covered his face with his hand. “Jesus, dad, no.” 

“I’m just checking! Just trying to understand.” 

Kyle did not understand. 

“Not all gay people are indecisive, dad.” 

“Alright, alright.” 

Kyle let out a bark of laughter, clasping a hand over his mouth as the two Tucker men turned to him. He looked to Thomas with wide eyes. He panicked and said: “Sorry, I didn’t mean to...” 

He grunted and waved it off. Craig let out a sigh. “Better to laugh. Told you he was sort of a redneck.” 

“Ain’t even been in this house ten minutes and you’ve already got an attitude.” 

“Dinner’s ready!” 

The two Tucker men were quick to stand up and head to the table, Craig only going slower to place a hand on Kyle’s shoulder and push him to the table. 

“Should we help your mum bring it in?” 

“She’ll be fine.” 

“She’d love the help!” Laura’s voice echoed through from the kitchen. Craig gave that classic melodramatic sigh as he turned from walking towards the table to the kitchen. 

In no time at all they were sat around the dinner table serving themselves food as Laura caught Craig up on all the town’s business. He would ask questions, give scathing remarks, and Kyle had to bite his tongue to stop laughing at some of the crueller ones. The way he spoke to his parents was nothing short of astonishing, though they seemed to have a very similar humour and phrasing as their son. 

He was settling into the atmosphere as the door opened and introduced another person to the mix. He turned to see a pretty girl with curled blonde hair entering the house kicking snow off her shoes and hanging up her jacket by the door. 

“You’re late, Trish.” 

“Sorry, dad!” she swanned into the house and to the dining table, stopping short as she caught Kyle’s eyes. Her jaw dropped, eyes bugging at the sight of him in a way that made him feel _exceptionally_ out of place. 

“Oh my god,” she pointed at Kyle and tore her eyes away long enough to look at Craig. “You actually brought your boyfriend?” 

“Yeah, I said I was gonna.” 

“You say shit all the time, doesn’t mean you follow through. I thought you were gonna say he died in some freak accident.” 

Kyle choked on the food in his mouth as laughter caught him by surprise. 

“Fuck off, I’m not going to say he died, you fucking weirdo.” 

“Says you.” 

“No swearing at the table!” their dad instructed. “Sit your ass down, Trish.” 

She did as she was asked, taking the final seat opposite Kyle as a smile overtook her face that reminded Kyle a bit of a shark. “Nice to finally meet you, mystery boyfriend we’ve heard so little about.” 

“I’m Kyle,” he greeted. “You must be Ruby?” 

She shot her brother a withering glare, smile dropping off her face. “You know, I have embarrassing stories about you too, _Fucker_.” 

“Stop fighting at the table,” Laura scolded. “Excuse them, Kyle. Sometimes I think they were raised by wolves.” 

“Nope, just you,” the siblings chorused. 

Kyle kicked Craig under the table lightly. The man smirked and stuck his tongue out. 

“Tricia is fine,” the younger girl corrected. “Though please, by all means, find me later so I can air out all Craig’s dirty laundry.” 

“C’mon, at least wait till the second visit before you embarrass me.” 

A smile pulled at Kyle’s lips as he watched the siblings bite at eat other with words until Laura continued to tell Craig the town news. He understood what Craig meant when he said people called him and his sister alike. They were just as drawling and sarcastic as each other. But it fit into the family dynamic. It was one that was both entertaining and kept him on edge, waiting for them to be reprimanded for their language and behaviour. 

After they ate Laura encouraged them to go upstairs to Craig’s room. “I got it all ready for you both to arrive. Fresh sheets and everything.” 

“She’s trying to make a good impression,” Craig muttered as he nudged Kyle, looking at his mother. “So she doesn’t scare you.” 

She smiled as she awkwardly balanced dishes in her arms. “I am. I hope it’s working.” 

“It is, thanks.” 

They got their bags from the door and Kyle followed his ‘boyfriend’ up the stairs. The hallway was just as typical as the rest of the house, though he could tell which room was Craig’s just by the poster that was plastered across the door. 

Craig groaned as he picked at the corners to take it down. “She couldn’t have fucking removed it before I got here?” 

“It’s cute,” Kyle commented. “Gives you a bit of character.” 

“I’m not _cute_ , fuck off,” Craig gave up with the tape, opening the door instead. “Oh for-!” 

Kyle poked his head round to see another poster above the bed. He bit his lip to hold back his laughter. “You really like Red Racer, huh?” 

“Just - get in the room.” 

He did as he was told, not daring to comment on anything else and break the already fragile relationship they had. He dropped his duffle bag by the bed, looking round and taking in the fact that this was Craig’s childhood room. 

It suited him, weirdly. Tidy, but decorated with a few other posters, a desk that housed books and video games galore. 

Craig dropped his backpack on the floor with his suitcase, and Kyle caught the expression on his face. He followed the eyeline to see he was looking at the bed. 

He swallowed a lump, clearing his throat, before pointing out the obvious of: “So you’ve got a double bed?” 

“Yeah. I’ve got a double bed.” 

“I...uh, cool.” 

“Shit,” Craig sounded like he was moving, but Kyle didn’t want to look up and have Craig see the heat in his face. “I can...go ask to sleep on the sofa?” 

“You don’t need to do that!” Kyle insisted, busying himself with his bag. “I should’ve brought like a sleeping bag or something. I’ve probably got...something in here.” 

“What, and just sleep on the floor?” 

“Yeah. I mean, I’m meant to be your – uh – _boyfriend_ , right? So it’s gonna be weird if you sleep on the couch.” 

The silence he was met with was deafening. His bag was also producing no answers. 

“Or, I mean, the carpet’s...nice.” 

“I have a sleeping bag in my wardrobe. I kept it for when friends stayed.” 

“Great!” Kyle braved turning to look at Craig, who had a peculiar expression on his face, with his arms crossed over his chest. “I’ll use that!” 

“No,” he let out a long sigh. “I’ll use it.” 

“Wha-are you-it's your bed, dude, I’m not gonna steal it.” 

“It’s fine. You’re doing me a favour. It’s the least I could do, or whatever.” 

“Thanks.” 

“Sure.” 

Later that night Kyle found himself half asleep on the couch, being stirred by Craig Tucker to go to bed. They got ready in silence, Craig getting his sleeping arrangements sorted while Kyle brushed his teeth before swapping. Kyle had fallen asleep before Craig even got back to the room. 

The events of the day were enough to wear him out. He was thankful that at least he’d have one good night's sleep there before fully being thrown into the charade. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had a lot of quibbles. 
> 
> Mostly on WHEN to set it, ie, first or second year. I'd nearly changed it to have them in their first year, because I tried to research the American college system (via google), and it said that most people decide their major in their first year. But Kyle being indecisive/non-committal in this is going to be a developed-character flaw. 
> 
> If it is too unrealistic, let me know, and I'll edit. You know better than me!!


	2. Chapter 2

It was a mixture of the sun and a buzzing noise that woke him up. He recognised the buzzing – a text message. But once he had rolled over and stirred, nothing else was familiar. The smell of the bed was pleasant, but foreign, as were the feeling of the soft sheets that were wrapped around him. He opened his eyes and looked to the bedside where his phone sat, scrambling for it to check the time before finding out where he was. 

Eleven o’clock. One message from Stan. One from his brother, Ike. 

He pushed himself up, looking around and taking in the surroundings. As his eyes settled on the poster on the opposite wall above the desk with the solar system staring him back in the face, the events of the previous day came back to him. He was in the Tucker household. In Craig’s house. In Craig’s bed. 

Kyle pulled himself up, looking down to the floor in front of the desk. There was a sleeping body, an extra blanket wrapped over the top of a sleeping bag, pillows underneath a dark head. He was facing away from Kyle so all he could see was the dark hair splayed out across the pillow. 

He forced himself to move out of the bed with a rush of embarrassment. Sitting on the edge he read the text from Stan and his brother, answering them in turn. Stan asked him about checking for something he’d left in the flat, which Kyle pointedly dodged with ‘can’t see it’. Ike was telling him he was an asshole, but an understandable asshole, so he was forgiven. Kyle answered with a thank you. 

He changed quickly and left the room with Craig still asleep on the floor. He didn’t have the courage to wake him up. 

The house seemed pretty calm, leaving Kyle with the chance to look at the photos that lined the hallways. There were family portraits, the kind you got on holidays and while visiting family. He couldn’t help but smile when he found a series of photos that seemed to be Craig and Tricia growing up at different stages, doing various activities together as kids. 

Craig seemed to always have had an attitude about him, even if he was a cute kid. Kyle found some victory in the fact he was right at his guess Craig had ear piercings before: in both ears, according to several photos. 

He moved through the hallway to the stairs, going down to find Laura Tucker arranging something on the windowsill, muttering to herself under her breath. 

“Morning.” 

He winced as she jumped out her skin as she turned around. He hadn’t meant to scare her. 

“Kyle!” she smiled wide. “Good morning. Glad to see you’re awake. Craig still in bed?” 

“Yeah. Down for the count.” 

“Always was a late riser,” she muttered. “I was just...” 

They both looked to the windowsill. Kyle had to take a moment to compose himself at what she was doing. There was a menorah sat there, just a cheap one that was probably LED lit, more for decoration than anything, but... 

“Where did you get that?” 

Laura gave a shrug of her shoulders. “I went out to get it this morning. Our local shops aren’t...well, this is the best thing I could find, I’ll say that much.” 

“It’s perfect. Thank you, I appreciate it.” 

“Yes, well, I hope it helps make you feel more welcome,” she cleared her throat. “I was wanting to go into town to do some proper shopping, I was hoping Craig might've woken up by now. I need someone to give me a hand.” 

Kyle caught himself before he could make a comment about the man sleeping on the floor. “He didn't seem close to stirring. I guess driving yesterday took its toll on him.” 

She clucked her tongue in a familiar way. “Damn it.” 

“I can come give you a hand, if you want?” 

“Are you sure?” Laura asked, though the brightness in her eyes promised she wanted him to say yes. “I won’t be offended if you want to wait for Craig. Thomas is just in the garage, so you won’t be totally on your own.” 

He remembered Mr Tucker from the night before. He didn’t think he’d seen the man smile at him once. It was an easy decision to make. “Yeah, it’ll be nice to see where Craig grew up.” 

“Well, go get washed and dressed quickly! I’ll wait for you – where did I put my wallet, I only went out this morning…” 

Craig was still fast asleep on the floor when Kyle ducked in to grab his things, and the redhead was sure to be as quick and quiet as he could be. He was shown to the bathroom the night before; at the end of the hall. So not to upset the parent who seemed to like him, he got ready without wasting any time before rushing downstairs. He was glad to see Laura at the door waiting for him, purse over the top of a wintery jacket. 

The drive was quiet, with the hum of the radio filling the car. It reminded him a bit of how Craig had his own music playing on their journey up. Honestly, there were quite a few things about the Tucker family that reminded him of Craig so far. 

It wasn’t till they arrived that Kyle asked the question of what she needed to get at the shopping mall that stood in front of them. 

“I ran out of wrapping paper,” she admitted as her cheeks began to colour. “I know it’s kind of…late, but when I went down to the local shop, they’d ran out. So I guess this is my only option. And while I’m here it means I can buy a couple of things. Keep you from going crazy in our tiny town.” 

“It doesn’t seem too bad.” 

“You’re so polite, how did you and Craig ever have a second conversation?” 

He gave an awkward laugh. “We had a mutual friend.” 

“That makes a lot more sense. Where are you from? Craig’s told us next to nothing about you. I didn’t even know your name until you told us.” 

The idea that Craig had managed to convince his entire family he was dating someone while avoiding giving out basic details was appalling and incredibly impressive. Kyle wished he had that kind of way of dealing with his family. “I’m from New Jersey.” 

“Bigger than South Park. More exciting than South Park, I bet.” 

He laughed it off. “It has its pluses and minuses. My best friend – Stan – he’s from a town like this originally. His parents moved near us when he was a kid though.” 

He made sure to open the door for her. When he entered it was clear that the inside was kept a bit better than the outside, though in specific areas. Some shops looked like they’d been there forever, right next to ones that looked brand new. It was a little disjointed. It suited the town. 

It wasn’t surprising that he spent most of the trip following Laura around, helping her pick between certain things, being taken from shop to shop. She introduced him in nearly every one they went in, the whole place having that ‘small town family’ vibe going on. 

“This is Kyle, Craig’s new boyfriend. He came to spend the holidays with us!” 

“Aw, it’s so nice to meet you, Kyle! How is your little troublemaker?” 

He answered questions vaguely, trying not to get too into exact details on what Craig was like a university. The standard ‘ha, you know, usual Craig things’ seemed to go over well, as people would either laugh with him or roll their eyes and encourage him not to be walked over. 

He was surprised by the answer of one of them being ‘at least he’s found someone strong willed to keep him in line’. He couldn’t imagine Craig needing people to keep him in line. He mostly stayed under the radar, not causing trouble and not standing out. A bit of an attitude problem, sure, but actively a pest? 

He asked Laura about it. She scoffed and rolled her eyes. 

“He doesn’t suffer fools easy. Some people take offense to it.” 

“I guess he’s not the best when it comes to…phrasing.” 

“He’s…a lot like his father,” she grimaced. “He’s a bit like me, maybe.” 

Kyle smirked at the blonde woman. “He’s a lot like you, yeah.” 

“Yeah,” she sighed. “Maybe. But his dad’s awful with phrasing. No concept of politeness, sometimes.” 

He thought of some of the conversations he’d witnessed Craig having with Stan. Thought of some of the conversations Craig had with himself. Politeness did seem in short supply often. “You’re not wrong. But…it’s a bit refreshing, I guess.” 

“That’s what I thought too, when I married Thomas. And then I ended up with two kids who were just like him and now I’m ready to punch one of them.” 

The tone she used suggested she wasn’t as upset about it as she was trying to pretend to be. 

They continued to wander, Kyle ending up insisting she let him carry the bags as they shopped, picking up extra wrapping paper, glazing over a jewellery store that held a bracelet Laura wanted. It wasn’t long before they were getting in the car and ready to go back to the Tucker household, laughing between themselves with Kyle feeling a lot more relaxed than he had when he arrived. 

Her demeanour changed as she pulled the car up the driveway, a dark look passing across her face and her fingers tightening round the steering wheel. 

“For fucks sake.” 

He followed Laura’s gaze as they pulled into the driveway to see the garage door open, Craig standing at the back where there was a workbench. He grimaced as he got out the car and could hear muffled music from where he stood. How loud were his headphones in his ears if it could be heard that far? 

It didn’t stop Laura from calling out to him. “Craig! What are you doing?!” 

There was no answer. It wasn’t surprising. 

She threw her hands in the air and stormed up the stairs, fumbling with the keys in her hands as she walked. Kyle glanced at Craig – judging from Laura’s reaction, this wasn’t a good sign, and while he knew he was _meant_ to be Craig’s significant other, they were actually barely friends. His presence might…not have been a welcome one. 

As Craig began to turn round he disappeared after her, not wanting to draw attention to himself. 

He wasn’t sure he picked the right decision. 

He entered the living room to find Craig’s dad sat on the couch with the TV on and a beer can in one hand. He slouched low on the arm chair, scowling up at his wife who had started to shout at him. 

“Why is our son in the garage with his headphones blasting?!” 

“Why should I know? Maybe he’s just working on something. You know how he is.” 

“I do know how he is, and I know what that look means! It means you’ve done something to piss him off again!” 

“I didn’t do shit.” 

“A likely story. If you were so confident it was his fault, you would’ve told me what happened already.” 

He scoffed at that, but Kyle didn’t miss the way his blue eyes flickered to look at him. Didn’t miss the way the blue eyes looked at him before back at the TV quickly, slouching a little further down, trying to get away. 

Kyle dropped his own gaze to the floor, shame flooding through him as he connected the look to the most likely emotion: guilt. 

They’d fought over him. 

“For once in your life, Thomas, why can’t you just be supportive of our boy?” 

“I am supportive!” he was on the defence. “But there’s a difference between being supportive and neglecting to give him advice that might save him some pain!” 

“Well, I guess you just think every decision he’ll make is going to give him pain then?!” 

Kyle didn’t say anything as he moved round the back of the couch. He didn’t have to though. His movement was enough to get the two adults to hold back till he’d left, slinking through the kitchen to where he found the patio door. He hadn’t even closed it before he heard the more hushed voice of Thomas speaking up again. If the man didn’t have such a low baritone, he might’ve missed it. But it was, and it carried far. 

“Look, I just don’t trust a man who can’t _commit_ to things. Where’s it gonna leave Craig?” 

It struck a chord. Enough to shake him. 

He brushed off some snow on the wooden steps before sitting down, folding his arms across his knees. He thought about ringing Stan. It was what he normally did when he needed some comfort. But Stan thought he was at home, wrapped up in a blanket on their couch enjoying a full couple of weeks without anyone bothering him. 

If he’d gone upstairs to Craig’s room that might’ve been a bit warmer, but he didn’t feel exactly welcome in the house at that moment. 

He jumped out his skin as the door behind him opened. Turning he saw the back of a fair haired girl’s head as she was pulling the door shut again. He turned back to survey the garden in hopes she wouldn’t catch his eye. 

She brushed the snow off next to him and sat down. Guess she was here for him then. 

“Sorry.” 

He grimaced at his own voice filling the silence. She hadn’t been expecting it judging from the way she gave a tiny stutter of movement. 

“About your parents…” 

She scoffed. “Oh, please. Self-pitying doesn’t suit you.” 

He glanced over at her, but she wasn’t looking at him. He turned back to the snow. 

“Dad and Craig fight. They butt heads a lot. And mum’s way of dealing with it is to kind of just…join the fight. Well, it wasn’t always, but the older Craig got the more vocal she got.” 

“Why?” 

Her shoulders moved in a shrug. “I dunno. I’ve never asked.” 

He gave a low humming noise. 

“Did you hear them?” 

“I heard a bit,” he admitted. “I came in with your mum, but I left when your dad…uh, his expressions are more of a giveaway than he thinks.” 

“Yup. Can say that again.” 

“That why you came outside?” 

“My window is up there,” she pointed directly up. “So I could see you. Where’s Craig?” 

“Still in the garage, I guess.” 

“What a shitty boyfriend.” 

“That’s probably me for not going to check on him when he’s obviously upset.” 

She let out a low sigh. “Well, I guess that makes you well suited. Two shitty boyfriends.” 

He laughed at that. “So your parents fight a lot? Or just about Craig?” 

“I don’t think our family has an exactly normal idea of ‘fighting’,” she admitted. “Mom and dad taught us to be outspoken about things we care about. Or feel strongly on. So we do, and they do, and that’s good.” 

“That sounds nice.” 

He could feel her eyes on him as soon as he’d said it. It didn’t take long for her to ask. “Do your parents fight a lot?” 

“No, they’re – they bicker, y’know, like an old married couple. They don’t fight like this though. Or, I mean – they’re more traditional in their way of thinking.” 

“Why did you decide to spend Christmas with us instead of going home and doing – what, Jewish things?” 

“Craig asked me to.” 

She didn’t press him. He wasn’t forthcoming with information. The idea of Tricia knowing more than Craig did, who was _supposed_ to be his boyfriend, was a bit weird. Instead they just sat in silence and pretended they didn’t hear the two inside start shouting again before cutting entirely quiet. A door slammed somewhere inside the house. Tricia gave him an awkward pat on the shoulder. 

“What are you two doing?” 

They both turned round to see Craig standing off to the left. It was then that Kyle noticed a door that lead from the back garden into the garage, a door that was open wide. 

“Jesus, aren’t you cold?” Tricia snapped. “You’ve been in there for _ages_.” 

Craig flipped the bird. She returned it. 

Looking at him did make Kyle feel cold though. He was in just a white t-shirt and jeans, a dirty rag in his hands that he was wiping down with. It was then that he noticed the black marks that lined the man’s forearms. 

“Working on the grease-beast? Mom’s not gonna let you in the living room like that. Do you want me to wash you down?” Tricia asked with a tone so sickly sweet it could be nothing but false. 

“Eat shit, Trish.” 

“I’ll give you your boyfriend back, now that you’re done licking your wounds. You can lick his now instead.” 

“Thanks.” 

She stood up and made a show of dusting off her skirt before swanning back towards the patio door, opening and closing it all too quickly. 

“Was she…comforting you?” 

Kyle looked to Craig with a smirk. “I think so.” 

“Wow. That’s a new one.” 

He turned back to the garden in front as Craig moved to sit in his sister’s place. A similar silence as before settled over them, a million words that Kyle wanted to say but didn’t know if he was allowed to hanging in the car, before Craig did something that made him start to laugh. He cleared his throat. In the kind of way people do when they’re preparing to speak. 

Kyle let out something half way between a snigger and a snort. 

“What?” Craig asked immediately on the defensive. 

“Nothing! Nothing, I just – has anyone told you, you Tuckers are all kind of similar.” 

“Fuck you!” 

“It’s a compliment! Honestly!” 

Craig sneered at him, though there was no heat behind it. 

“Are you alright?” 

The change in tone had the dark eyes looking away from Kyle, though Kyle didn’t look away from him. “Yeah, I’m fine. Dad’s just a fucking dick.” 

“He – uh – your mom had a few choice words to say to him.” 

Craig turned back with horror on his face. “Did he say it to-?!” 

“Not to my face. He’s not subtle. I caught the tail end of the argument when I came out here.” 

“Shit. I thought you were out.” 

“We got back, but you were in the garage and you looked busy, so I didn’t bother you.” 

“Sorry. He…yeah.” 

“Yeah.” 

Silence descended again. There was only so long Kyle could stop himself speaking before he broke forth in a flood of words. 

“I just-! I didn’t mean to cause you trouble!” he started. “I’m meant to be helping you, not making it worse! Yet here I am, being a disappointing boyfriend, and having your mom go out and buy Jewish decorations for the house-!” 

“Mom bought decorations for the house?” 

“She did!” he flailed his arms in the air. “She’s so fucking cute! Honestly, it’s the nicest thing!” 

“She is, yeah.” 

“I should’ve come up with – I don’t know, something more tangible than whatever it was I said to upset your dad. I fucked up.” 

“You didn’t fuck up.” 

“I did! I just wanted to get away from spending time with one disappointed family and ended up spending it with another one.” 

The silence that followed give Kyle enough time to regret opening his mouth and spilling far too much information. He swore under his breath and buried his head in his hands, taking a few deep breaths to try and compose himself after his outburst. He should’ve rang Stan, even if they didn’t exactly talk about what happened, it might’ve been enough to calm him down. 

“Look, I’m not gonna pry into your life,” Craig started. “You’ve clearly got…a lot to unpack, and I don’t know if I’m the best guy for emotional support, but…” he gave a sigh. “Do you wanna just…get out of here?” 

“What?” Kyle looked up with wide eyes. “I’m not going to – I’m not going to leave, I’m not so fragile that-!” 

“No, no, more like, just go into town. I could probably use the distraction before I see my dad again, and it might be good for both of us.” 

He tilted his head as he thought on it. “I suppose so. Don’t you wanna…do something about the dirt, first?” 

“Yeah, I should. Gimme a hand, would you?” 

Craig took him over to where there was a hose connected to the outside wall, putting his hands together and presenting his arms. Kyle turned it on, grabbing the sponge that was on the floor at Craig’s request and wiping down the water. He wasn’t sure this exactly was what he’d call ‘clean’, but it had the appearance of it at least. 

Craig was shivering a little by the time they were done, quick to run back into the house. They crept forward to see the living room empty, moving quickly to the coat hanger where Craig’s jacket was. 

“I’m afraid there’s not much in the way of stuff to do. Did mom take you into the mall, or into the town?” 

“The mall.” 

“Town it is.” 

They moved back into the house, pleased to see that there was no one in the living room. Craig grabbed his jacket and they were out the door, him leading the way towards town. 

They didn’t speak. Kyle spent too much time taking in the ‘sights’ of South Park instead, the roads they cut down, noting the police station they passed and what looked like church in the distance. It wasn’t long before they were at what Kyle supposed was their town centre, an assortment of shops spanning across a high street. 

“So what were you doing in the garage?” 

Craig looked down at him with quirked brows. “What?” 

“In the garage. You had dirt all over your arms.” 

“Oh. Uh, a bike.” 

Kyle raised a brow. “A bike?” 

“Yeah. A motorbike.” 

“Your dad works at a garage. You learnt off him?” 

“Pretty much. I was always kind of interested in cars.” 

“The Red Racer posters in-!” 

“Yes, okay, that’s where the posters come from,” Craig hissed through his teeth. Kyle couldn’t help but smile in satisfaction at the response. “So, I own a bike. It was all beat up, gonna be scrapped for parts. Dad brought it home. We fixed it up.” 

“Does it work?” 

“Yeah, it does. I like working on it. Tune it up. Calms me down.” 

Kyle looked back to the snow covered streets, continuing to walk next to this man who he realised he knew less about than he thought. Who would’ve guessed boring old Craig from the physics course knew enough to fix up a motorbike? 

“You have fun out with mom?” 

“Yeah, actually. She’s pretty easy to get on with. Pretty laidback.” 

“She is.” 

Kyle looked over to the shops they were passing. “I realised I should probably…get them something. For Christmas.” 

“Why?” 

“Because they’ve invited me over? And will house me and feed me for a week?” 

“Well, I guess if you wanna.” 

“What does your dad like?” 

“Uh,” Craig floundered for an answer. “He’s a practical man. He likes pretty standard dad stuff. Alcohol, things like that. Stuff he can drink or eat.” 

“Your mom was looking at jewellery in the mall. I thought maybe I should get her something like what she was looking at?” 

“Yeah, she’d probably like that.” 

“What about your sister?” 

Craig rolled his eyes. “Fuck knows. I got her a card with money in it.” 

“How original.” 

“Thanks. I wouldn’t overthink it. I doubt they’re expecting you to get them something separate from what I have.” 

Kyle shrugged it off. “I guess so.” 

“I’ll show you the places to look. C’mon.” 

He allowed himself to be dragged around by Craig. One thing that he did notice was while Craig didn’t engage people in familiar conversation, people in town seemed to know who they were more. A few would try to engage Craig, especially in the shops where they ended up purchasing gifts. 

He met most questions with indifference or annoyance, though Kyle couldn’t help but suspect that it was due to embarrassment. He always seemed to fidget, grow agitated when they totally failed to hide their curiosity about Kyle. 

“Sorry,” he said on more than one occasion as they left a store. “You come home for the holidays and everyone wants up in your business.” 

But it was nice. He didn’t notice how wound up Craig had been by his dad, or maybe it was that he wasn’t used to seeing Craig relaxed. Usually when they met it wasn’t through choice, or in situations where they wanted to speak. He didn’t expect the dark haired male to be so… _talkative_. 

He had a comment for anything. Be it an honest reply to something Kyle said, or a scathing remark about something they saw in a store. As the afternoon wore on and the shops began to close; early, due to it being Christmas Eve, he found himself openly _laughing_ at things that were said. 

Sure, they weren’t acting particularly couple-y, but he felt like they were at least acting like friends. 

“Now I feel a bit better equipped to be your _boyfriend_ ,” Kyle commented as they were walking through the quiet streets that lead back to the Tucker household. “Was it really so hard to open up a little?” 

“Yes,” he didn’t miss a beat. “Absolutely.” 

Kyle elbowed him in the side. 

They made it back in time to smell the scent of dinner being prepared. They’d barely taken their jackets off before Laura was in the room asking for Craig to call his sister down for dinner and instructing Kyle to come through and help her. Craig took the chance to take the presents Kyle had bought to his room. 

Laura looked like she wanted to say something as she gave him bowls to take through to the dining room, but she didn’t. 

Once they were all sat around, Laura and Thomas not meeting eyes, and Tricia looking poutier than the day before, Kyle exchanged a brief glance with Craig. Their efforts to forget about the fight were successful, only to come home to the aftermath. 

Kyle kept resisting the urge to speak up. Kept reminding himself that he was a guest in the house, and Craig’s guest at that. To stop trying to meddle in other people’s business. He made do with listening to Craig and Laura talk about what they did in town quietly, answering only when asked directly. 

The tension was beginning to feel familiar. 

“So, Kyle.” 

The whole table stopped and looked up as Thomas started to speak. Thomas, who continued to look at his plate instead of the person he was addressing. Thomas, who’s very presence made Kyle want to jump out the nearest window. 

“You interested in any sports?” 

Craig’s fork met his plate all too dramatically, but Kyle didn’t turn to look. Instead, he cleared his throat to answer. “Yeah, I play basketball.” 

That made Thomas look up at least. “Y’don’t say?” 

“I’ve always been really into it, and I watch games too. My dad took me to a fair few when I was at school. I follow football, too. Stan plays, he got in on scholarship at college for it.” 

“Stan one of your friends?” 

Kyle gave a nervous laugh as Thomas’s eyes flickered between Kyle and Craig, as if he was asking them both. “He’s my childhood friend. We picked the same college. He and Craig – uh – clash sometimes.” 

“Yeah, cause he’s a meathead.” 

Kyle kicked him under the table. Craig scowled at him. 

But apparently that was all it took to make conversation with Thomas for the rest of the night. Even after the plates were cleared, he was still talking sport with the man, who had asked his wife to fetch them some beers while they talked. 

As the rest of the family dispersed, Craig eventually came to fetch Kyle with a roll of his eyes that was becoming too frequent and a: “I got wrapping paper.” 

“Craig!” Kyle hissed. 

“What? They’re gonna recognise their own wrapping paper there’s no hiding it.” 

“It’s alright Kyle!” Laura called from the sofas where she’d settled down to watch TV. “I only wrapped your presents today too.” 

They went upstairs and Kyle was met again with the startling reality of the situation as they settled on the floor of Craig’s childhood room to wrap gifts Kyle had bought for his family members. Craig helped without a word, just wrapping as he was instructed. 

“Did you stash your sleeping bag?” 

Craig glanced up for a split second. “Yeah. Didn’t want one of them coming in and finding it.” 

“Smart.” 

“Thanks.” 

The silence descended over them again. Kyle continued to wrap the bracelet he’d bought Tricia. 

“Sorry for…you buying shit.” 

“Why?” 

Craig grimaced. “You don’t even like me, yet you have to buy gifts for my family. I dunno. It felt like I should apologise.” 

“Nothing to apologise for, dude. I don’t not like you.” 

Craig levelled a disbelieving look. 

“I mean, today was fun, wasn’t it?” 

“Yeah. Yeah, it was.” 

Kyle couldn’t help but poke fun. “Is that…is that a smile, I see? Did you enjoy spending time with your _boyfriend_?” 

“Knock it off, asshole.” 

“Aww, you sure know how to make me feel special.” 

“I take it all back. I’m not sorry at all.” 

The smile that broke through the stoic look said otherwise. 

They ended up turning in early, though Kyle could see the light on Craig’s phone hitting the ceiling. He got his own phone out, looking through his messages to find a couple from Stan. It didn’t surprise him; he was plotting to kill his dad. 

Always the dramatics when it came to his dad. 

He exchanged a few messages with his best friend before the low light on his phone screen lulled him into the embrace of sleep. The last thing he sent was a garbled ‘Merry Christmas’. 

They understood each other enough that Stan got the message and responded in kind. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was a funny one because I kept thinking it was too short with it just being basically one continuous scene but then I had a look at my word count and went 'oh'. 
> 
> So here it is!


	3. Chapter 3

Christmas day. A day where houses would be buzzing with excitement, no matter the age, and often full of people as families gathered in one place. At least that was the kind of house that the Tuckers had, so it was no surprise that the thing that woke Kyle up was the sound of footsteps and people shouting about the house at each other. 

He rubbed his eyes as he tried to force himself awake. If people were moving about, that meant that they should probably think about getting up too. The soft breathing that he could hear at the foot of the bed suggested that Craig was, unsurprisingly, the last one awake again. 

_“T_ _ricia, is your brother awake yet?”_

Kyle scowled as he focused on the conversation happening outside their room, dread beginning to creep in. 

_“Probably not,”_ sounded Tricia’s drawling voice, much closer than Laura’s. _“I’m not waking him up though. God knows what I’ll walk in on.”_

_“Fin_ _e, I’ll wake them up,_ _ya_ _big baby.”_

Panic set in as he heard footsteps trampling up the stairs, followed by Tricia’s voice on the other side of the door shouting very clearly: _“If you guys are having sex, now’s the time to stop!”_

It was enough to jolt Craig awake on the floor apparently. Kyle sprung into a sitting position as Craig scrambled out of his sleeping bag and onto his feet, wide eyed with bedhead in his boxers and t-shirt. Kyle made a note to make fun of him later when he wasn’t having a moment, their eyes meeting before glancing down at the sleeping bag. 

Kyle rolled over and pulled the quilt up as Craig rushed over and dived under the blanket just as someone knocked on the door to the room. Kyle pushed aside the embarrassment he felt as Craig wrapped an arm round his middle and began to pull him close before – 

“Shit, sorry, I-!” 

“Shut up and spoon me.” 

Craig grumbled low as he got comfortable, nestling close just as the door cracked open. 

“Merry Christmas, boys! Are you two awake?” 

Kyle ducked down under the blanket to hide his embarrassment as he saw Tricia’s face poking up to try see into the room behind her mother. He was thankful when Craig took charge to respond. 

“Couldn’t sleep through you two shouting outside my room if I tried.” 

“ _Merry Christmas_.” 

“Yeah, Merry Christmas, mom.” 

Kyle forced himself into the open as Tricia lost interest and disappeared. “Merry Christmas!” 

Laura beamed widely. “You two better get up soon, I’ve already started making lunch! And you can’t miss _Christmas lunch_!” 

She pulled the door closed. As soon as it clicked shut, Craig pulled back from Kyle as if he was burnt. Kyle did much the same though and swung his legs over the side of the bed feeling far too bare in his pyjamas. 

“Fuck,” Craig muttered from across the room, though Kyle wasn’t facing him. “Sorry.” 

“It’s alright, dude. Just – I mean, I’m definitely awake now.” 

Craig gave a dry laugh. “Yeah. Me too.” 

“She’s right though, we should get read and head down.” 

They got ready on opposite sides of the room at some speed, as if that would help them think they were in different spaces. Once they were all dressed and ready to go, Craig turned to Kyle at the door with a nod, Kyle giving one in return, and Craig reached for the door handle. 

He’d seen the Marsh’s at Christmas. How weird could it be? 

\-- 

Overwhelming was a good way to describe it at the beginning. Or maybe _foreign_ was a better word. 

They got downstairs and Tricia the first to greet them with a ‘Merry Christmas’ before bustling about setting the table. Craig all but pushed Kyle down onto the couch as he headed over to join her. When the redhead tried to get back up to help, Craig shot him a warning look and a pointed finger. 

“Stay.” 

He didn’t need to be told twice. 

Thomas appeared a few moments later from the kitchen with a handful of plates, instructing Craig that his mother needed help in the kitchen. As soon as they were set up, Tricia was sat next to him and Thomas on the armchair, the TV on with some generic Christmas show on. 

“Merry Christmas, Kyle. Or…Happy Hanukkah?” 

Kyle appreciated the thought, if nothing else. “Merry Christmas and Hanukkah to you too.” 

Tricia decided that was an invitation to spend the next ten minutes grilling him on the differences of how he spends the holidays, and what his family would be doing at home. It was easy to highlight the differences. 

Laura’s voice from the kitchen called them to the table, signalling that dinner was ready. Tricia was on her feet in seconds, Thomas not far behind with Kyle in tow, though he hovered as he saw the mother of the house leaving the kitchen with plates. 

“Do you want help?” 

“Oh, thank you, Kyle!” 

She was quick to unload on him. He took a moment to balance herself as she disappeared. 

Craig wasn’t far behind her, and soon the three of them were piling the table full of food before sitting down and joining Tricia and her father, who were sniggering at each other about something. Laura was the first one to suggest crackers before anything else, picking hers up and offering it to Craig who in turn rolled his eyes. Kyle jumped to join in as he watched the rest of the family make a little cracker chain with each other. 

“One…two…three!” 

A series of pops filled the room. Jokes were shared. Laura positioned a Christmas hat on Craig’s head, Tricia taking great joys in laughing at him. They didn’t waste much more time on the trinkets that came in the crackers, choosing to get started on the food instead. 

Foreign in the sense that he felt so out of place. This house, with these people, with this ‘boyfriend’ who wasn’t even his friend. Didn’t even like him. 

Craig kicked him under the table as Thomas continued to recount a work story and Laura got her own food on her plate. Kyle looked up to see the stormy eyes trained on him. 

“You okay?” 

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Kyle assured, forcing a smile on his face. “Just a bit tired still I think.” 

Craig gave a little knock of his knuckles against Kyle’s shoulder and a surprisingly warm smile. Kyle found his forced smile became a little easier. 

The mood was picked up as Laura and Thomas began to recount various embarrassing Christmas stories of their children. The time they had to tell Tricia that Santa wasn’t real, because she was scared of a stranger breaking into their house. The time Craig got drunk for the first time, because he didn’t know what eggnog was and as a child would drink a glass like he was dying of thirst. 

He began to relax into it, deciding to enjoy the time that these people were sharing with him instead of sitting himself on the outside. 

Craig and Tricia ended up on the floor for present unwrapping, Tricia picking presents out from under the tree and handing them to each person in turn. Kyle tried not to be weird about it when she handed him one. He tried, at least. 

When he unwrapped the box and lifted the lid, he found an assortment of little things, very stereotypical Christmas things. Chocolate, socks, and some smellies. It wasn’t personalised, which cemented what Craig had said about him not having already built up an idea of what his ‘boyfriend’ was like to his family. But it was like they were trying to cover all bases. Make sure they got something he’d like. 

He appreciated getting anything at all. 

Thomas also seemed to appreciate getting something, crowing over the fancy beer bottles that Kyle had bought. Tricia was quick to compare her simple, silver bracelet with her mother’s, wearing it and wiggling her fingers as she held her wrist up to get a good look at it. It looked a bit loose to him, but she didn’t seem to comment on it. 

Laura looked up at him with a wide smile as she fitted her own bracelet in rose gold onto her wrist. “Oh, honey, thank you so much. They’re so pretty!” 

“I know they’re not much, and I don’t know if it’s tacky to get you both something that kind of matches, but…” 

“I don’t mind tacky.” 

Tricia fluttered her eyelashes. “It suits me well enough that I’ll forgive you this time.” 

Before he had a chance to mock Craig for actually having gotten his sister a card – that read _happy birthday_ – and shoved some money into it, Craig had opened his own present from Tricia to find a Christmas card with the same amount of money. There was almost an underlying disappointment than neither of them had got more, and therefore won. 

“They do this every year,” Laura muttered to Kyle with an eye roll. “Try to one up each other. They’re too alike.” 

Kyle ended up at some point in the kitchen with Craig washing dishes as Tricia lounged about on the small table in the room, catching her brother up on the dramas of high school that she acknowledged he didn’t care about, but that she wanted to tell him anyway. 

The day became easy. Taking his seat next to Craig on the couch as a Christmas movie played, Laura and Thomas next to them, became easy. Craig’s arm around his shoulder became easy. 

It was still foreign, but he allowed himself a moment to bask in it. 

\-- 

They were half way through a Christmas movie when the house phone rang. Laura disappeared to answer it, leaving Kyle and Craig still nestled on the couch as Thomas in the armchair that Kyle had dubbed his personal chair. Craig’s arm was round the back of the couch, encompassing Kyle but not quite touching. It was a stance that the taller boy had taken to having when they sat on the chair. 

Up keeping an image, but doing it comfortably. 

Five minutes later Laura returned and patted the back of Thomas’s chair to get his attention. Kyle looked over out of curiosity, even if Thomas didn’t look up at her. 

“That was Roger, they’ll be coming round in about half an hour.” 

Kyle felt Craig tense up around him. “Wait, the Donovan’s are coming round?” 

Laura look over with a furrowed brow. “Yeah, for drinks. Is that…alright?” 

“I thought they went to Clyde’s grandmas last year.” 

“His grandma lives here now, so all three of them will be coming round.” 

Craig gave a low groan and withdrew the arm that was wrapped around Kyle’s shoulders. “Ah, shit.” 

“You two had a falling out again?” Thomas asked without taking his eyes off the TV. 

“No, no, it’s just…ugh, nothing. It’s fine.” 

Laura’s eyes fell on Kyle, who gave a helpless shrug at the questions in her gaze. Apparently that was all the answer she needed though as she tsk’ed and turned back to her son with a disapproving glare. “I can’t believe you haven’t told your _best friend_ that you were bringing your boyfriend home for the holidays.” 

Craig gave an even longer groan and buried his face in his hands. 

“Honestly, I feel like I should be dropping little updates round to his house so he knows you’re still alive sometimes!” 

“He doesn’t…know.” 

“He doesn’t-?!” Laura threw her arms in the air. “For fucks sake, Craig!” 

“Ah, lay off him, it’s Christmas.” 

She practically stomped her foot at her husband’s words. “Don’t stand up for him!” 

“The kid’ll be used to it by now. They’ve known each other long enough.” 

Kyle focused his eyes on Craig, who was still hidden in his hands. He tilted his head forward to try get a better look and see if he could gauge some kind of expression or emotion, but… 

Were his ears pink? _Pink_? 

“You’ll get along with him fine, Clyde’s a lovely kid,” Laura said to Kyle. 

Thomas scoffed. “Lovely most of the time.” 

“Thomas is just saying that because we’ve known Clyde since he was in diapers. He and Craig are childhood friends.” 

Kyle cocked a brow as he looked down at Craig. He wondered if this meant Clyde also didn’t know that Craig had brought a _fake_ boyfriend home for the holidays. It might’ve been something he needed to tell him before he arrived. 

He tried to be subtle as he suggested it to Craig in a jokey tone. “Maybe you should be ringing him to give him a heads up, as your best friend, huh?” 

Craig stood in a sudden rush, gesturing for Kyle to follow him. Neither of his parents seemed to find the behaviour peculiar at least, as they just rolled their eyes and went back to what they were doing. Kyle followed the other man up to his room, raising a brow as Craig all but flopped on his bed with pink cheeks still present. Kyle was careful to make sure the door was shut. 

“So, you gonna give your friend a heads up?” 

“I can’t tell him the truth.” 

Now _that_ was unexpected. 

“You don’t understand,” Craig continued without prompt, sitting up and using his hands to gesture. “Clyde is – _so_ bad at keeping secrets! If he knows, he’ll tell someone, he won’t be able to keep it in, and then either his dad’ll tell my dad, or Tricia will find out!” 

“So we’re gonna have to pretend to him, too?” 

“Yes,” he fell back against the sheets as Kyle sat down. “At least he’s gullible. He won’t take much convincing.” 

“I think we’re doing alright with your family.” 

“Tricia’s suspicious.” 

Kyle looked down, seeing Craig’s face had calmed down and he was now staring blankly at the ceiling. “Is she?” 

“She’s always suspicious, but…yeah. She is.” 

“How do you know?” 

“It’s the way she looks at us,” he let out a sigh. “Like she thinks something’s wrong.” 

“Is there something wrong?” Kyle pressed. “What are you not doing that you normally would?” 

Craig’s cheeks began to heat up again. 

“C’mon, what is it?” 

“She knows what I’m like. She knows I’m usually more actions than words.” 

“Have you been holding back?” 

The grimace on his face said it all. 

Kyle looked away with warming cheeks at that. “Oh. I see.” 

“Sorry.” 

“Well, you can, y’know…” he sucked in a breath. “I’m not fragile. I did sign up for this. You already warned me, about your touchy-feely ways.” 

Craig snorted. 

“And turns out you’re not a total asshole.” 

“Thanks,” Craig drawled. When Kyle looked over, there was a playful smile on the man’s face. “I guess you’re alright.” 

Kyle punched him in the leg. 

“Alright, alright. I’ll do what I normally would.” 

“Cool. It’s not a big deal, dude. You’ll be fine.” 

Once Craig had composed himself they headed back downstairs, heading to the kitchen so Craig could get them drinks. He let the man have his moment of peace before the storm hit, watching as Craig tapped away on his phone with brows furrowed, meaningless conversation passing through the air. 

When the doorbell went Craig flinched. It left Kyle being a little fearful over what to expect. 

“You gonna be okay?” Kyle pressed. 

“I’ll be fine. I’m used to Clyde. He’s like, been my best friend for years. It’ll be fine.” 

He wasn’t sure who Craig was trying to convince, but didn’t press it. Instead he lead the way back into the living room, where a middle aged man and an older woman were being welcomed in by Thomas and Laura, and a boy similar to their age was waiting, brown hair messy and blue eyes searching. 

Clyde was – not what he imagined, when he thought of ‘Craig’ and ‘best friend’. The smile that spread from cheek to cheek was nothing short of _sunshine_ on a cloudy day. He guessed Clyde was the sunshine, and Craig was the cloudy day. The brunette rushed forward and enveloped Craig in a bone crushing hug, picking him up off the floor despite Craig being a fraction taller – muscle mass wise, Clyde was definitely bigger. 

Craig managed to break free of the hold, pushing Clyde back and scowling at him as he did so. “Dude.” 

“Merry Christmas!” Clyde exclaimed – louder than he needed to – as if Craig wasn’t glaring daggers at him. “You’re home! It’s Christmas! What’s – who’s this?” 

Kyle forced a smile to cross his face as the blue eyes landed on him. “Uh, hi. I’m Kyle.” 

“Hi Kyle,” Clyde glanced between the pair. “Nice to meet you!” he raised a hand to speak behind and spoke in the loudest whisper Kyle had ever heard. “Who’s Kyle?” 

“My boyfriend.” 

“What?!” Clyde eyes were like saucers. “What?! Boyfriend?!” 

“I _knew_ you’d make a big deal out of it.” 

Kyle gave a laugh he hoped sounded less awkward than it was. “Yeah, that’s me! The boyfriend.” 

_Yup._

“Your first boyfriend home from college!” Clyde rushed forward and Kyle had to suffer through the same bone crushing hug Craig received, but without the lift. “Welcome to South Park, dude!” 

“Dude! At least _ask_ before you attack him!” 

“Shit, sorry, yeah, do you mind if I hug him?” 

Craig’s palm met his forehead. “I meant ask him!” 

Clyde turned with wide, naive eyes. “Do you like hugs? Are you a hugger, dude?” 

Kyle shrugged it off. “I don’t mind them. It’s Christmas, y’know?” 

“Yeah! Christmas!” Clyde was facing Craig again. “I got you a present!” 

“I didn’t get you shit.” 

“Aw, dude, c’mon, I was counting on you!” 

“I thought you weren’t gonna be here!” 

“Well, I am!” 

“Yeah, I noticed.” 

“I got you a gift, _Clyde_.” 

The three turned to see Tricia leaning against the banister of the stairs, half lidded eyes surveying the three of them. Or more like surveying Clyde. 

Craig practically _growled_. 

“Aw Trish, thanks! I got you a gift too, don’t worry!” 

“Aren’t you the sweetest?” 

Craig turned his glare to Kyle. “Ruby likes to flirt with my best friends. Because she’s a weirdo.” 

“She’s not flirting, dude, she’s just, y’know, being Trish!” 

“Yeah, a snake with ulterior motives.” 

Kyle bit back on his smile as he looked up at the blonde girl, who winked at him. “What, this angel?” 

Craig kicked him. He sniggered quietly. 

“So, what are we watching?” Clyde pressed like he didn’t notice the violence. “It’s a Christmas tradition that the three of us watch a Christmas film, though now I guess it’s the four of us, if these two don’t scare you off for next year.” 

“Well, Craig and I already decided on the movie,” Tricia said from her place on the stairs. Kyle looked to Craig with a furrowed brow, as he didn’t remember any conversation between the siblings taking place, but Craig was the epitome of poker face. “And we’d like to watch Black Christmas.” 

Clyde seemed to wither under the title. “Aw, c’mon, we watched a horror film last time!” 

“Yeah, two years ago,” Craig defended. “You had last year to watch your fluffy Christmas films with your grandma. You’re in our house now, which means we decide.” 

The puppy dog eyes turned to Kyle. “Do you wanna watch Black Christmas too?” 

Kyle turned to Craig, lost as the decision was turned to him. “Uh, is it bad?” 

“You’ll be fine, babe.” 

“You’re not allowed to spend the whole movie making out! If I’m suffering through it, you have to too!” 

Tricia gave a wistful sigh from the stairs. The three boys turned to her and the look on her face sent a shiver down Kyle’s spine as her eyes locked with his, that shark-like smile widening a fraction. “I wouldn’t worry, Clyde. I haven’t seen them kiss _once_ since they arrived.” 

He felt a cold dread. Craig was right, she really was suspicious. 

“Yeah, cause I’m not a fucking high-schooler anymore like you,” Craig muttered with a well-placed eye roll. Kyle gave a small chuckle, lacing his fingers through Craig’s like it would make it any less obvious. “Let’s set it up.” 

The four of them retreated from the living room where the adults were chatting away happily as they popped open a bottle of champagne. Tricia led the way, and Kyle was surprised to see them head into her room. When they got there it made sense. 

While Craig’s room was covered in posters that looked like they hadn’t been changed in years and a more modern computer set up with games and DVDs decorating the desk, Tricia’s room was better kept. There were two beanbags on the floor that faced a large TV set up where Craig had a desk in his own room, decked out in white and purples. 

Tricia gravitated towards the TV and began to get it set up as Clyde got himself comfortable on the bed, leaving enough room for another person. Kyle followed Craig’s lead as he was pulled by his hand, the pair of them settling down on the beanbags at the end of the bed. 

They were sat close again, as they had been for the past two nights when the family were together in the living room, but there was something different about this. Especially as Tricia moved to turn off the light, plunging them into darkness as the movie began. 

Kyle ducked a hand round Craig’s back, forcing himself to get comfortable. Craig did a similar thing, ending with each of them having a hand on the other one’s hips, sides pressed together from torso down to foot. He sucked in a breath as he prepared himself for what was to come. He wasn’t sure if it was just the atmosphere of the room, or the knowledge that Tricia was above him. 

Above him, watching them, and seeing through their ruse. 

Once the movie started his nerves began to settle. He relaxed down into the beanbag and Craig’s side, finding himself absorbed by the screen. Hopefully it was enough to distract them all, including Tricia. ****

It was fine until Clyde gave a small yelp and jumped out his skin. Tricia laughed openly at the reaction, and he could hear the two above them shoving each other and Clyde whining at the attention and the oh-so-obvious jump scare. 

He was glad that no one had noticed his own. Or, he would be, if not for the fact there was someone pressed so close to him that the couldn’t have not noticed his small jump of surprise. 

Craig’s chuckle was low in his ear as the man whispered. “Scared?” 

“No,” Kyle hissed back. “Clyde just…surprised me. It was more that than the movie.” 

“Sure,” came the teasing drawl. He glared as he looked towards the dark haired male, defiance in his eyes. 

The pair above them had settled down, but Kyle didn’t look back to the movie. In his defence, neither did Craig. Instead the pair sat staring at each other, challenge sparking between them as another sorority girl on the screen suffered through a gruesome fate. 

Craig moved a touch closer so that his whispers wouldn’t be heard. “It’s fine if you’re scared. You can shut your eyes.” 

“I think you might just want an excuse to look big in front of your friend,” Kyle muttered lowly, tilting his head upwards to meet the other man head on. “Sister not hurt your pride, has she?” 

There was a crack in Craig’s armour, just for a second. “Maybe I just want to prove what a _caring_ boyfriend I am?” 

“You could do better.” 

There was a moment where Craig’s eyes flittered downwards. Where a thought crossed his face, half completed, that Kyle couldn’t catch. He sat, waiting for the man to respond, whatever that response was going to look like. It was just for a moment. One, singular moment. 

It probably would’ve lasted longer if Tricia’s voice hadn’t rained down on them. 

“Can you two _not flirt_ when I’m trying to watch a movie? There’s perfectly good bloodshed here and you’re ruining it with your mushy.” 

Craig snapped his head back to the screen so fast Kyle wouldn’t be surprised he got whiplash. It caused a snigger to break free from Kyle’s lips as he turned back himself and shouted up a quick ‘sorry!’ to Tricia. 

The movie ended with only a few more jumps and whines from Clyde. He had his own moments, gripping Craig a little tighter, grimacing as it got particularly gory. Making a straight up retching noise at one point, which had Craig’s chest vibrating with suppressed laughter. 

Tricia stretched out on the bed, yawning widely. “That was fun.” 

“It was!” Clyde agreed. “It was good! But scary!” 

“Jump scares are cheap,” Craig said. 

“Boo, party pooper!” 

“Yeah, downer!” 

Kyle laughed at the pair on the bed. “It was good.” 

“We should go join the adults,” Craig suggested. “They have alcohol.” 

“Ugh, I guess,” Tricia muttered. “So long as dad and Kyle don’t start talking sports again.” 

Clyde perked up at that. “You like sports?!” 

That had the girl crying in frustration. 

The four made their way downstairs, chattering louder than usual with the extra presence of someone so bombastic. The adults were still on the sofas, laughing amongst themselves with wine glasses full of champagne, one half empty bottle in the middle of the table and one empty bottle next to it. The ‘kids’ got themselves comfortable at the dining table, though Craig didn’t sit down in the seat he’d claimed for himself, next to Kyle and opposite Tricia. 

“I’ll get the drinks.” 

“Get me a beer – oh! Unless you’re mixing drinks?” 

Craig pulled a face. 

“Please? Please, please, plea-!” 

“Fine. You’ll get what you’re given though. Kyle?” 

The redhead jumped at the question. “Huh?” 

“Drink?” 

“Uh, sure, why not.” 

“Me three!” 

“I’ll put it in the baby cup.” 

Kyle turned to see Tricia and Clyde across the table as Craig disappeared and felt his blood run cold at the look on Tricia’s face. Her lips were pulled up into a smile, chin resting on the back of her hand. But before she could fully open her mouth, Clyde cut her off. 

“It’s so cool to see Craig bring someone home for the holidays!” he gushed. “And someone who likes sports? These two will _never_ talk sports with me! What do you like?” 

As soon as the word ‘sports’ had left his lips, Tricia rolled her eyes. Once he finished, she pushed her seat back from the table with a groan. “I’m going to help Craig.” 

Kyle let out a breath of relief as she disappeared and Clyde engaged him in a conversation about football. 

When the siblings got back they were still talking, and the pair instead chose to gossip together quietly. Kyle took the drink he was offered from Craig, sipping it to find a pleasant flavour. 

“Craig makes good drinks!” Clyde said. 

Tricia scoffed. “I’m sure Kyle’s aware of that.” 

“Yeah, I guess. Well, I mean, how long have you been dating?” 

Kyle let Craig take the lead. “Nearly a year.” 

“I can’t believe you never told me about him!” 

Kyle looked across the table to see Tricia’s eyes on him, focused. She wasn’t subtle about the stare, openly waiting for some kind of reaction. He wasn’t quite sure what to make of it. 

“Because you always make a big deal of everything.” 

“Yeah, because it is a big deal!” 

Kyle couldn’t quite tear his eyes away from hers. He wasn’t sure what to do with is face, however. He felt like he was being... 

_Challenged._

“Is this why you won’t let me come visit you?” 

“Just because you know now, doesn’t mean that you can start visiting me.” 

Tricia’s smile widened. Kyle’s eyes narrowed. He preferred not to back down from a challenge, even if it was a strange kind of staring contest. 

“Aw, c’mon dude, why not? Is it because you’re worried I’m gonna embarrass you?” 

“I _know_ you’re going to embarrass me.” 

Tricia’s smile had faded somewhat, though neither of them were blinking. Kyle reached for his drink, taking a small sip, while keeping the eye contact. Before she could do the same, she let out a small yelp, jumping in the air as she turned to Clyde with a scowl. “What the fuck?” 

“You two having a staring contest or something?” 

“Yes! And you made me lose!” 

Kyle tired not to look _too_ smug as he took another drink. The proud look at that Craig was giving him made him think that he wasn’t doing a good job of it. 

The conversation devolved from there. He found Clyde easy to talk to, and the man was quick to flit the conversation from one post to the next. Tricia and Craig were becoming less similar, the former a little meaner, but on a very superficial level. Almost forced. While the latter was chatty in a grumpy way. A way that Kyle hadn’t really noticed before, and was almost...endearing. 

They’d had a few drinks before Clyde was bringing out his phone and opening the camera app, gesturing to the others to get in the frame. 

“C’mon, take a photo with me!” Clyde insisted as he positioned his phone high, angling towards the other three. “Selfie-time!” 

“You’re so embarrassing,” Craig drawled. 

“Smile for the camera!” 

Kyle couldn’t help but laugh as Craig and Tricia raised the middle finger in unison, Craig with a deadpan expression and Tricia with a sarcastic smile that looked closer to a grimace. Their synchronisation was nothing short of impressive. Clyde’s own cheesy grin was just made ten times happier next to the dower pair he was friends with. 

The drinks continued. It wasn’t until Tricia was a little shaky on her feet, though he wasn’t sure if it was from the alcohol effects or from being tired, as she was yawning and her eyes were becoming heavy. Clyde laughed softly at her, standing and finishing his drink in one just as the adults behind him began to wrap up. 

“You doing alright, honey?” Laura asked, a hand squeezing Tricia’s shoulder. 

“I’m’fine,” she slurred. “I can stay up.” 

“Well, you might be able to, but Clyde’s grandma can’t. I think your dad’s looking to head off.” 

The brunette nodded with a wide smile. “No problem! Craig, promise me, we’re gonna hang out before you go home.” 

But instead of a snappy reply, there was a smile on Craig’s face as he rolled his eyes. “We will. I promise.” 

“Good!” 

Tricia was asleep in her arms as the Tucker’s and the Donovan’s said goodbye to each other, and Kyle found himself shaking her shoulder to wake her up as it was going on. She pulled herself together, standing on wobbly legs and stumbling a bit. 

“Hey, get on my back. I’ll carry you.” 

“I’m not a kid,” she muttered. “I can walk.” 

“I didn’t say you can’t.” 

She nodded her head after a moment and he turned around, letting her climb onto his back. He wasn’t surprised by how light she was; she may not have been short, but she was pretty slim. He gave a sheepish grin as Craig met him at the stairs with a smirk. 

“You a carriage, now?” 

“Apparently. Walk behind me, to make sure she’s steady, yeah?” 

“Sure.” 

They headed up the stairs with Tricia murmuring softly between them. They headed into her room, Craig pulling the blanket down to let Kyle drop her onto the bed. 

“F’ck off,” she muttered as she buried herself in her pillows and blanket. “Get out m’room.” 

Kyle laughed at her, though the pair left without anything else said. Laura was in the hallway when they did, stopping them both to wrap them in a large hug and a sloshed ‘happy holidays’. Thomas joined them, clapping each of them on the back with the same sentiment. 

They shared a breath of relief as they got back into the bedroom, after Kyle had brushed his teeth. They exchanged a tired look, and Kyle wasn’t surprised to find it past midnight when he looked at his phone. 

“Thanks,” Craig muttered. “That went...smoother than I thought it would.” 

“Hey, told you we’d be fine.” 

“Did you?” 

“I don’t even know. This whole day feels like a blur.” 

Craig laughed. Openly and honestly. “Yeah, I get that.” 

They separated to their halves of the room, an unspoken separation. When Kyle cleared his throat before turning around to head to the bed, he found Craig setting up his makeshift bed on the floor. 

“Y’know, it’s probably…better if we both just sleep in the bed,” Kyle suggested. “We wouldn’t run the risk like we did this morning.” 

Craig looked at him all bug-eyed. 

“Just…with your sister being so suspicious, I feel like we should step up our game.” 

“You don’t have to,” Craig spoke slowly. Carefully. “Seriously, if they say anything I’ll…make something up. Maybe your Jewish heritage makes you a prude.” 

Kyle rolled his eyes and pulled back the covers, getting into bed. “If you don’t want to, that’s okay. You don’t need to tiptoe.” 

“That’s…not it. Not that I do – just-!” Craig stumbled through the sentence. 

Kyle felt a smirk spread across his face. “Are you embarrassed?” 

“Fuck off!” Craig dropped the sleeping bag on the floor, kicking it under his table. “Fine! Move over, asshole.” 

“You totally are.” 

Craig got himself comfortable under the covers, leaving Kyle chuckling on his half of the bed. After sitting so close to each other during the movie, lying in the bed like this… 

Wasn’t such a big deal. 

“So,” Kyle turned to face Craig who was sleeping on his back as the silence of the night settled over them. “Does this mean we’re friends?” 

Craig snorted at the question, but Kyle could hear the smile in his voice. “Don’t push your luck, acquaintance.” 

“Ooh, cuts deep, bro.” 

There was a few moments before the other male spoke again. “Yeah. I guess we’re friends.” 

“Cool.” 

“Cool.” 

Kyle rolled onto his back himself, a warmth spreading through him at the acknowledgement of friendship. “Even though you hate Stan?” 

“If the condition to being your friend is I have to be friends with him, this will be very short lived.” 

He laughed. “It doesn’t. I promise.” 

“I should hope so.” 

With the idea of his best friend on his mind as they went to sleep, he made a mental note to ring him tomorrow. They hadn’t spoken properly since the car journey down, which was weird for them, tied at the hip for so much of their lives. 

He wasn’t prepared for what he would unleash. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CLYDE 
> 
> Sorry I got distracted by Moron Boi. 
> 
> I didn't want to make Christmas a super big deal for them because a, I don't feel so festive anymore and b, this is about as festive as it gets in my own house so 
> 
> But some progression! Friendship! Yes!


	4. Chapter 4

Waking up took him by surprise. He opened his eyes to see another face opposite his own. It took him a moment to properly adjust and remember where he was. Thankfully the person was still asleep so didn’t see the funny faces he pulled.

Once he realised that this was _Craig_ and that he was still at _Craig’s house_ and that there was nothing weird or untoward happening he took a moment to properly take in the other man. He realised that Craig didn’t look all that much like the other members of his family. The dark, black hair, the slightly darker skin. The nicely shaped jaw. It was no secret that Craig Tucker was attractive, objectively at least. He looked after himself it seemed.

Tricia looked a lot more like a mix between her parents, a softness to her face and a harshness to her eyes.

He rolled over to find his phone, checking the time before deciding it was probably time to get up. Ten o’clock. Hopefully Stan would be awake.

Pulling on his jeans he snuck out the room, managing to get through the house without bumping into anyone. He grabbed his jacket from the coat hanger by the front door before he was outside in the back garden.

It didn’t take too long for the call to be answered. There was a fumbling and low swearing on the other end that made Kyle let out a huff of amusement.

“ _Hello?”_

“Dude, it’s like, ten o’clock.”

A long groan from a voice he didn’t expect to miss as much as he did. _“Why aren’t you still in bed?”_

“I don’t like sleeping in till dusk like you do.”

“ _Yeah, yeah, whatever. What do you want, anyway?”_

Kyle shrugged it off, kicking the snow in the ground as he walked. “Just wanted to ring. I didn’t yesterday. Merry Christmas.”

“ _Happy holidays, dude.”_

“How was it?”

An even _longer_ groan. _“Grandpa came round – I honestly don’t know how he’s still kicking, y’know? He’s been in that nursing home for fuckin’ years.”_

“I wonder if your dad’s gonna last that long?”

“ _Lord help us,”_ Stan muttered. _“It was alright, though. Shelly only tried to beat me up once. I’d call that a record. I think it helped that Ike was there.”_

“Kept you out of trouble, huh?”

“ _S’mthing like that. How’s it been going there?”_

Kyle reminded himself of what their dorm looked like. “Oh, fine. Spending the holidays on my own is kind of weird, but I’m managing.”

“ _Still keeping up the whole ‘I’m still at the dorms’ thing, huh?”_

He stopped in his tracks, giving a nervous laugh. “What?”

“ _How’s it been going at Craig’s house?”_

The whiplash from the change of tone in his voice shook Kyle into panic. “Shit. I – uh-!”

“ _What a surprise on my Christmas day that Cartman sends me a photo he got from Craig’s Facebook page of that his friend has tagged him in that includes you!”_

“Fucking – damn it, Clyde.”

“ _Who’s Clyde?!”_

Kyle groaned as he tried to find a way to get out of trouble. “Clyde’s Craig’s friend – I’m a bit stuck for company with everyone else gone home, so-!”

“ _He posted that you were at their house. Don’t even try tell me Craig’s at the dorms too.”_

Double shit.

“ _Well? Why are you hanging out at Craig’s house?”_

“Okay, look, you were gone for like, I dunno, three days and I’d already started to get bored. There was nothing to do! So I was looking through the student boards for…something to pass my time, I guess, and someone had posted an advert looking for a – uh – for someone to take home for the holidays. And so I said yes.”

“ _Wait…”_ you could hear the cogs turning on the other side of the line. _“Take someone home for…you mean like…are you on some kind of weird date?!”_

“Not…exactly.”

The noise that Stan made was probably meant to be English.

“It’s like a fake-boyfriend kinda thing,” Kyle whispered. “It’s not a big deal.”

“ _How is that not a big deal?!”_

“I mean, we’re friends now, I guess, so that’s…good?”

“ _We’re talking about Craig Tucker here!”_ Stan bawled on the other end. _“The same Craig who hates my guts with a passion! The same Craig who, no joke, one week before term finished, told me it was a shame that when I traded in my brain I didn’t get anything in return – are you laughing?!”_

He wasn’t. “No, no I’m not laughing.”

“ _You’re totally laughing!”_

Absolutely not laughing. “I promise I’m not.”

“ _Ugh! I can’t believe you!”_

Maybe a little bit laughing. “I’m sorry, it’s just – when did he say that to you?”

“ _You’re an asshole.”_

Kyle bit down on his smile.

“ _It was after I bumped into him at the library.”_

“I see,” he didn’t press any further. “Well, I can torture him a bit for you while I’m here. I am in prime position to get revenge for you, dude.”

“ _No, it’s fine. I don’t want to sabotage your budding friendship,”_ his voice had become lower, more defeated. _“Just…find out a juicy detail about him I can hold over his head.”_

Kyle spoke without fully deciding if Craig would be mad at him for it. “He has a Red Racer poster in his room?”

“ _Is that juicy?”_

“He was pretty embarrassed about it when we arrived.”

“ _Yes, juicy!”_

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. Seriously.”

There was a moment of silence before Stan responded. _“I think I was more upset that it was Cartman who told me. I had to act like I knew all along. Which was easy, I guess, cause it was over text, but whatever.”_

“Fatass.”

“ _Yeah. So long as I don’t have to hang out with him when you get back, it’s fine.”_

“Don’t worry. He said pretty much the same thing about you.”

“ _Fuckin’ jackass.”_

“So…what did you tell Cartman?”

Stan let out a sigh. It was a noise Kyle was used to hearing. He could even picture that face he pulls when he does it, sighing through his nose while looking on like a disapproving mother. _“I told him I didn’t get why he thought it was a big deal, and that we have friends separate of each other. He lost interest pretty quickly, honestly.”_

“Hopefully it stays that way…”

“ _Yeah, good luck.”_

Neither of them sounded convincing.

“Hey!”

Kyle spun round, looking towards the house to see Craig standing there, deep scowl on his face but seemingly unfazed from the cold in his pyjamas as he shouted out from the glass door to the kitchen.

“You had breakfast?”

“Not yet,” he replied, covering the receiver with his hand in an attempt to muffle the embarrassment. “Are you making something?”

“Eggs.”

“Sure. If you’re offering?”

The man nodded as he disappeared back into the house, tugging at the tangles in his hair with his hand. Kyle turned back to the phone, seeing the call still going but silence on the other end.

“Hey, you still there?”

“ _Yup. Was that your boyfriend?”_

He felt the heat raising in his cheeks. “Shut up. I’ll let you go though. I’m sure you’ve got plenty to do. Not often the family’s all together.”

“ _You mean you’ve got plenty to do, hanging out with your boyfriend.”_

“Your jealousy is showing.”

“ _Yeah it is, I want breakfast.”_

“Even if it’s made from Craig?”

“ _Never mind. Enjoy your traitor food, traitor.”_

He laughed as the embarrassment subsided. “Thanks. Talk to you later, dude.”

They exchanged their goodbyes and Kyle headed back into the house, pleased to be in the warmth once he was there. He hung the jacket over the back of chair on the small table in the corner of the kitchen as he watched Craig cook. It wasn’t long before a plate was set in front of him, Craig dropping it – toast with scrambled eggs – and another on the opposite side where he sat.

They ate in silence for a while, Craig not looking up from his plate, and Kyle shooting him glances every now and then. As they continued to eat, he wondered if maybe he should tell Craig about his conversation with Stan. If Cartman knew, who could tell who else knew?

“Was that Stan?”

He was almost thankful for the conversation prompt. “Uh, yeah, it was. It’s like, our first ever Christmas period where I’m not there. Our families usually see each other around now. I guess like how Clyde came round yesterday.”

“I thought you didn’t celebrate Christmas.”

“I don’t, but any excuse to have a party, right?”

Craig snorted at that. A sign he was beginning to take as the closest thing to laughter he got from the boy.

“He actually…mentioned something.”

A raised brow. Curious. He could do this.

“Cartman found the picture Clyde posted on his Facebook of us all yesterday.”

Craig’s eyes shut, his jaw clenching as he dropped his fork in favour of nursing the side of his head. Kyle began to panic.

“Stan played it off like no big deal, he said, but he did question me as to why I was here so I did have to tell him, but I don’t know – well – if we should have some kind of reason? I – shit, we probably shouldn’t be talking about it here-!”

“There’s no one home,” Craig assured. “They’re all out. Mom left me a note.”

“Oh. Well, that’s good at least?”

“Jesus fuck,” Craig sighed out and picked up his fork, stabbing his food with renewed vigour. “That dumbass little shit.”

“He didn’t know.”

“Yeah, but he’s not here to defend himself, so I’ll blame him for now.”

Kyle smiled across the table in what he hoped was a comforting way, but felt a little too constipated.

“I’m sorry,” he eventually said. “This is my fault. I should’ve expected something like this.”

“It’s fine. We’ve got time before term starts again, so we have time to…explain it if we get any questions.”

“Shit.”

Kyle watched him drag a hand down his face, still not making eye contact. He sucked in a breath before speaking. “It’s not like anyone knows we _aren’t_ friends?”

Craig shot him a deadpan look.

“Well, it’s true. Did anyone know you posted that advert?”

“A couple. I had some people interested that I met. Most of them were boys who expected a girl. They were quick to say no. And Token knows, he and Tweek helped me set all this up.”

“So, we’re just a couple of friends helping each other out. Needed company over Christmas. I couldn’t go home, you didn’t want to go alone.”

Craig’s eyes narrowed. “You never told me why you weren’t going home.”

“It’s not a big deal,” Kyle cut off quickly. “It just works for the story.”

Craig clucked his tongue, eyes still narrowed, but didn’t press.

The conversation dissolved from there as they returned to their breakfasts, a little tenser than before. Kyle checked the time on his phone, reading nearly eleven o’clock.

“You’ve pretty much seen the town,” Craig admitted. “I don’t know if there’s anything else you want to do?”

“Is that ass-man’s lab still-!”

“Anything but that.”

Kyle smirked at the grimace on the other’s face. “Fine. How about the mall again? Your mum took me, but I didn’t get a great look. And I feel like I need to get Stan something to make up for…the surprise.”

“Sure thing.”

He got ready in the bathroom again this time, taking a chance to have a good shower before they left. Craig took the shower next while he attempted to wrangle some sense into his hair. He felt like he should at least try to look nice. After all, it was for all purposes a date to everyone else. Most people tried to look nice on a date.

He stumbled over himself as the thought crossed his mind. There was something funny about putting ‘Craig’ and ‘date’ in the same sentence.

“Ready?” Craig asked as they met in the living room of the empty house. Kyle nodded mutely.

They loaded into the car and started the journey with the music blasting between them. He spent the ride firing a couple of text to Stan who was hanging out with Ike that day, escaping from the madness of the parental units. Ike, who passed the message of ‘traitor’ through Stan. They were probably bonding over it.

It didn’t take too long to get to Park County Mall, rolling up and parking in an already heaving carpark. Kyle had a moment of regret when he looked round at how busy it was, not eager to get into that mess of a crowd.

“Right, present for Stan. Let’s do this.”

He followed Craig’s lead and forced some enthusiasm. They stuck close together, more for moral support than theatrics this time. They probably should’ve expected it. People loved sales and bargains.

They were shopping for about half an hour before a shorter, feisty blonde stood in front of them. They hadn’t found a gift for Stan yet, and Kyle felt tense enough as it was. He looked down to see Tricia looking up at them and down at them at the same time; a skill that she must’ve cultivated well over her teen years.

There was another boy behind her, who looked older than she was. Maybe more their age, baby-face lined with stubble and freckles. He greeted Craig with a smile and a ‘hi!’, receiving a Craig-equivalent of a warm greeting.

Tricia all but stomped her foot to get the attention back on her.

“Tricia.”

“Craig.”

Her eyes narrowed slowly before she stuck her nose up with an air of superiority. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you in the Boxing Day sales.”

“That’s a lie and you know it.”

Kyle watched as the siblings began to snark at each other, finding it a little different from usual. There was a little more bite behind the words. A little more sneer to their faces. He probably would’ve continued to watch the exchange, if not for the tap on his arm that brought his attention to the boy that Tricia had been hanging out with.

“Hey,” the ashy blonde gave an awkward nod as he shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans, brushing the green parka to the side. “I’m Thomas. I – _shit_ – I don’t think I’ve seen you around?”

“No, it’s my first Christmas here. I came back with Craig.”

“Oh! You must be Kyle, the boyfriend.”

He gave a shrug and a smile. “That’s me. The boyfriend.”

“Tricia mentioned you were visiting. How – _fuck_ – how was meeting the family?”

“Uh, as daunting as I thought it would be?”

Thomas laughed, and Kyle had to admit it was kind of adorable; the way he sniggered with an uncontrollable snort. “They’re pretty full on. But they make you – _ugh_ – they make you feel welcome I think.”

Kyle did his best not to react to what he was beginning to realise was less like nerves and more like a tick. He instead thought of the menorah that Laura had set up; crude and out of place in their house, but it was the thought that counted. “Yeah…they do.”

Thomas turned to look at the siblings, as if waiting for them to finish squabbling.

“So, you’re Tricia’s friend?”

“Uh sort of I guess?” the boy grimaced at the question. “I’ve been around long enough I – _shit – cock –_ excuse me, sorry-!”

“It’s alright,” Kyle brushed it off. “I’ve got used to these lot swearing through their sentences, it’s no big deal now.”

He wasn’t sure if that was the right thing to say, exactly, but Thomas seemed to relax into the conversation a bit more for it. “Yeah, that’s how they made me feel welcome. Uh, unintentionally, I think?”

They fell into an easy conversation, Kyle questioning what plans they had for the day, Thomas rolling his eyes at the fact Tricia had convinced him to dig out his old skates to take to the lake, and then wimped out at the last minute. They didn’t notice when two sets of eyes fell on them, and it was Thomas who noticed first, a pink dusting his cheeks as he cleared his throat and turned back to the siblings.

A wicked smile crossed Tricia’s face as she turned to Craig, who looked a little caught in the headlights. She opened her mouth, but before the teasing could start he had turned to her with a snarl and red cheeks.

“Fuck you.”

“What? Isn’t it so _nice_ to see people getting along?”

“C’mon, Kyle. Let’s go.”

Kyle barely got out a ‘goodbye’ to Thomas before Craig’s hand was round his wrist, pulling him away from the pair. He waved over his shoulder instead, pleased to see Thomas doing the same thing.

“Who was that?” Kyle pressed as he allowed Craig to drag him away from the pair.

“Just – Thomas.”

“Yeah, I gathered that much.”

“It’s not a big deal.”

“If it’s not a big deal then why are your cheeks pink?”

“They’re not-?!” Craig huffed out, pulling them round a corner and glaring down at him, though his hand was still clasped round Kyle’s wrist. “You’re insufferable.”

“Yeah, you’ve said. Probably.”

He ran his free hand through his dark hair, not quite meeting Kyle’s eyes. “I just know Trish. She likes to make such a big deal of everything, any excuse to embarrass me. I bet she’s by dying for the chance since you got here.”

“Do you two…get along?” Kyle tiptoed around the question. “Just cause, I can never quite tell. Sometimes it’s like you do, but most of the time you kind of look ready to go at each other’s throats.”

“We get on. Enough.”

Kyle raised a brow.

“Thomas is my ex,” Craig said through gritted teeth. “Tricia’s salty about it.”

“Oh. Oh!” Kyle’s eyes widened. “Shit, dude, I should’ve – why’s she salty about it?”

“She really likes Thomas, and when we broke up she was like, thirteen or something,” he shrugged it off. “I dunno. She took it personally. Which is dumb, because we stayed friends.”

“Really?”

“Sort of. Does it matter?” Craig clucked his tongue and looked away. “She’s just looking to get under my skin.”

“Craig.”

Stormy eyes snapped back to him, wide and expressive in a way that Kyle wasn’t used to. But he kept going.

“Let’s get a coffee.”

There was resistance in the man’s face. Kyle could see it. It didn’t stop him agreeing though, and gesturing for Kyle to follow. By the time they got to a mall coffee shop, Craig reminded him a little of a misbehaved dog; head down and tail between his legs.

Kyle paid, telling Craig to get them a table as he got the drinks. When he arrived the kicked-puppy look had only got worse. It was…

Adorable.

“I get it,” Kyle started. “You don’t like opening up. And it probably doesn’t help that it’s – well – me, out of everyone. So how about this;” he raised a finger, pointing it between them. “Every time you tell me something personal, I’ll tell you something personal.”

“Or we could just not, at all? How’s that?”

“Nope. You clearly need to deal with some shit you’ve been bottling up. And we’re _friends_ now, dude. I never let my friends bottle up.”

Craig pulled a face.

“I’ll go first then,” Kyle cleared his throat, looking down at the coffee cupped between his hands as he forced his nerves to remain calm. “I didn’t want to go home because last Hanukah was the worst I’ve ever had to sit through. I decided that being on my own would be better. But I didn’t expect…” he clutched the cup tighter. “The most painful part was that neither of them argued. They just accepted it.”

“I wasn’t sure…if you not ringing them was a Jewish thing, or…?”

Kyle snorted, though he wasn’t sure if it was the redneck vibes that sentence gave off, or the really awkward look on Craig’s face. “No, it’s not. It’s a my family thing. Or, I guess it is now.”

“Do they normally ring?”

“I guess? I expect it. I’ve never not been at home for Hanukah. She’s…I guess sometimes my mother’s a bit of a helicopter parent.”

Craig nodded, eyes dropping down to the cup he took a drink from. Kyle took the moment to study the man’s face. He didn’t look comfortable, but he wasn’t complaining. Yet, at least. And despite not looking comfortable, he was asking questions. Prompting Kyle to talk more.

He wasn’t sure if that was out of genuine interest, or wanting to delay talking about himself.

“So, Thomas.”

Craig shot him a withering glare.

“It’s your turn.”

“Thomas and I dated, then he broke up with me, the end. I don’t know what you want me to say?”

“He broke up with you?”

“No need to sound so surprised.”

Kyle flushed at the callout. “No, it’s not – you’re just – _Craig_.”

The man raised a brow. “And?”

“Y’know. I can’t imagine…” he felt his cheeks begin to heat up. “You’re just – attractive, and – desirable? I mean, I assume you would be at least, to some people.”

Craig was quiet for a moment, one moment too many in Kyle’s opinion, with this smirk on his face and amusement in his eyes. “Thanks.”

“Yeah, sure. Go on.”

There was the briefest flashes of teeth in that smile, though it was hidden by Craig ducking his head. “Yes, he broke up with me. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I’m not the most emotionally available person ever. He needed me to be there, supportive, y’know? And I wasn’t. And so we broke up.”

He thought about pressing. Asking what it was, asking for more details. But he got the feeling that the details were more personal for Thomas than Craig would probably part with. That another route more focusing on Craig would be better: “And so Tricia blamed you.”

“Yeah,” he sighed somewhere between disappointed and annoyed. “She wasn’t wrong. It just wasn’t any of her business. We had a big argument. Which wasn’t totally unusual, but I think her exact words were ‘one day you’ll have to think about someone who isn’t yourself’, and then I pushed her down the stairs.”

“Wait – _what_?!”

He shrugged like that was the most normal part of the conversation “I was pissed off, and kind of – heartbroken, I guess – so I pushed her. And she happened to be at the top of the stairs.”

“Was she okay?!”

“She was _fine_ ,” he rolled his eyes. “She had like, a concussion for a day at most.”

“I can’t believe you pushed your sister down the stairs.”

“Like she hasn’t done equally bad things to me before,” he scoffed.

Kyle sucked in a breath to control his response. Craig watched him out the corner of his eyes, like he was judging a response. Or maybe trying to judge Kyle’s response. “Is it weird, that Tricia’s friends with him?”

“No,” the response was firm. “It’s not. I’m happy, actually. That it didn’t stop them still getting on.”

“That makes sense.”

Craig nodded. “Good.”

Kyle turned back to his coffee, mulling on the information he’d been given. He thought about the interactions between the siblings that he’d seen so far. He couldn’t imagine not being on Ike’s side, ever. Sure he’d kind of…ditched him for the holidays this time, but he had asked. He’d asked Ike after the boy asked if it was true he wasn’t coming home, and Ike had said he didn’t mind.

He had said that he’d handle one holiday. That he’d have Stan at least. That Kyle needed a break.

He wondered if Craig would want that kind of relationship with his sister. Sure, he wasn’t as bad as Shelly was with Stan, but he was pretty sure Stan had also been pushed down the stairs by his big sibling.

He wondered if Shelly took the same, nonchalant approach to it that Craig did.

He looked up to see Tricia at the counter with Thomas. It was dumb luck that he had the chance to find out a bit more about how they interacted, but he was willing to take it.

“Want to sit with them?”

Craig looked up, eyes snapping to the counter at the suggestion. Kyle took a sip of his drink as he waited for a response. Craig shrugged and said: “Sure.”

They waited till Tricia’s eyes fell on them, her whole body going ridged like a child caught with their hand in the cookie jar. Thomas turned to look when she didn’t respond to something he’d said, a sigh and a smile as he caught Kyle’s eyes. Kyle waved.

Craig gestured his head for them to join the table. Thomas gave the thumbs up.

“Do you think she knew we were in here?” Kyle asked as they waited for the pair to pay.

“Definitely,” Craig muttered. “She was probably hoping to spy on us.”

“Not everything she does is insidious, probably.”

Craig levelled him with a disbelieving look.

Tricia sat down next to her brother, glaring over the table at Thomas who sat next to Kyle. Kyle, who was quick to try diffuse the awkward atmosphere by commenting on the bags between the pair and ask what had been bought. Tricia turned her narrowed eyes to him, but brushed off her discomfort in favour of smiling as she answered the question.

He would be lying if he said it was totally comfortable from there. It was kind of awkward. Tricia seemed to actively bite down on her words when Craig and Thomas interacted, watching Craig was hawk-eyes for one wrong move. Craig didn’t always seem to know what to say in response to things he was asked.

But they got through coffee. They got through coffee, and Craig stood, suggesting that they kept going and leave the other two to finish their shopping trip in peace. Thomas seemed genuinely happy to have sat with them both, telling Kyle that it was nice to meet him. Kyle shared the sentiment.

As they left Craig swung an arm around his shoulder, pulling him in close. Kyle looked up with a warm smile, like he was posing for the camera that was Tricia Tucker.

Craig didn’t look at him as he spoke. “Thanks.”

The smile turned softer. “Sure thing, dude.”

\--

They had wandered round the shops for a while, and Kyle had managed to grab a good bargain on a gift for Stan and Ike, though he wasn’t sure when he’d get Ike’s gift to him. He’d probably have to post it once they got back to college. After a very late lunch they got back to find the house still void of people, and Craig took the chance to sprawl out on the couch, groaning loudly as Kyle sat on his back.

Half way through a movie – Kyle’s chance to finally pick – Laura appeared in the doorway wearing a smart blouse and shoes that clicked across the floor as she walked.

“I hope you two haven’t spent all day lounging on that couch!” she scolded as she discarded her winter jacket and hopped into the kitchen, struggling to take her shoes off while she moved.

“We went out,” Craig informed.

Kyle expanded. “We went to the mall.”

“Oh! Did you see Tricia?”

The curiosity in her voice wasn’t well hidden. Craig rolled his eyes. “Yes, we saw Tricia. We had coffee with her and Thomas. It was very civilised.”

“Good! That’s so sweet! How is Thomas?”

“He’s fine.”

“He seems really nice,” Kyle added. Laura positively shone with the smile on her face.

By the time Tricia got home, arms loaded with bags, they were half way into their second movie; Craig’s pick, some award winning piece with a lot of cinematic shots and few explosions. She eyed them both up before disappearing to her room. It left Kyle not quite sure how to take it.

When she came back downstairs she got comfortable on her dad’s chair, crossing her arms in a way that made her look a lot more like the petulant teenager that she was.

The rest of the evening passed much like the ones before. Thomas returned with grease on his forearms in a mechanics suit, muttering away as he changed before dinner was served. They ate, bickering between the siblings, Laura attempting to keep some semblance of peace, Thomas talking to him about a new sport to gauge his knowledge and interest.

They went to bed a lot more comfortably than the day before, getting in their respective sides with a respectful distance between them, silence settling as Kyle texted Stan and fired a few to his little brother, who was the same as ever, while Craig tapped away on his own phone.

He fell asleep with his phone in his hand and the sound of Craig’s fingers patting against a touch screen lulling him to dreamland.


	5. Chapter 5

It was the first day he woke up last. It was due to a buzzing, and he looked over to see his phone lighting up with a notification. He checked it, seeing the time flash and a message from an unsaved number.

_Are you awake enough for breakfast?_

He chuckled to himself as he realised who it was. Tricia would have a field day with it if she knew he didn’t even have Craig’s number saved in his phone.

He fired back a quick response confirming he would be awake enough in five minutes, before rolling out of the bed and starting to get dressed. Dressed, without having to sneak around someone else or sneak to the bathroom. It was a freedom he didn’t realise he’d missed.

He wandered downstairs in jeans and a sweater he’d picked up off the floor, tapping away on his phone as he responded to a message from Stan. It was a picture of his brother passed out in front of the TV, controller in his hands, with the tag _‘I can’t tell which of you is the worst player 2’_.

Craig was sat at the table eating with their breakfasts plated when Kyle got into the room. He looked up briefly, but did a double take when he saw Kyle.

“What?” the redhead patted down his hair at the force of the stare. “It’s not that bad, is it?”

“No…” Craig stared for a moment. “Just…nice jumper.”

He looked down and felt his face set alight as he realised his mistake. Staring back at him was a black jumper, white stripe with red writing reading _N A S A._ He fumbled through an excuse and found his hands reaching for the hem as if to offer to take it off.

The sound of Craig chuckling, deep and low, cut him off. “It’s fine, dude. Suits you. Eat your breakfast. I didn’t fucking make it so you could let it go cold.”

Kyle did as he was told and sat down. He began to eat, waiting for Craig to start the conversation. Partly because of the embarrassment, but mostly because he was tired.

“I wasn’t sure when you’d be up.”

“I’m usually up before you.”

Craig smirked. “Yeah, you are. I figured I should try to be hospitable, or whatever.”

“You’re not awful at it,” Kyle commented. “What are our plans for the day?”

“Well – uh – I was gonna hole up in the garage for a bit,” Craig confessed. “You can come if you want.”

Kyle hadn’t seen him in the garage since the big blowout with his dad. He perked up with interest at the offer, smile forming on his face.

“Don’t make it weird.”

“Are you sure?” Kyle pressed, ignoring Craig’s words. “I’d like to. Are you working on your motorbike?”

“Yes, I’ll be working on my motorbike, and if you’re too fucking loud you’ll be kicked out,” Craig jabbed his fork in Kyle’s direction for emphasis. The smirk on his face ruined it.

“I’ll be on my best behaviour, I promise.”

Craig rolled his eyes, but said nothing more as they finished eating. Kyle washed the plates while Craig disappeared, telling Kyle he’d leave the door open.

When he got into the garage he saw Craig crouching next to his motorbike, polishing the exterior. The stormy eyes glanced at him for a moment, focusing once again on the sweater he forgot he was wearing, before snapping back to the bike.

Kyle was content to watch at first. It looked like he was mostly just cleaning it up, getting it ready. Giving it a bit of love. Craig broke the silence to instruct Kyle to put some music on while he worked, and Kyle was happy to oblige and load up YouTube on his phone. Craig didn’t complain about his music taste, at least.

When he broke the silence it was while watching the bare forearms glide with his hand movements, taking a moment to be impressed that the man would be in the cold garage in just a t-shirt and jeans. He was probably used to it. It was a little mesmerising. He spoke without thinking much. In a bit of a daze.

“Are you gonna take me for a ride on it?”

Craig looked up with wide eyes, not responding at first, looking a little like a startled fish. The dusting of pink on his cheeks was…kind of cute. “Uh…do you…want to?”

“Yeah,” he answered, and he found himself being sincere. “I do. I’ve never ridden on a motorbike.”

“Alright. I wanted to take it into the shop anyway, so…now’s good, I guess?”

“Do you have two helmets?”

“Don’t be a pussy.”

“It’s called _the law_.”

Craig smirked as he finished up polishing the spot he was at. “I do. There’s two on the back shelf. You’ll have to use the one Tricia chose. Go get your coat.”

“Do you want me to get yours?”

“I need to get my backpack. I’ll get it myself.”

Kyle disappeared into the house, grabbing his coat and wrapping it round himself. He saw Craig jogging up the stairs on his way back to the garage, watching for a moment before continuing. He saw what Craig meant about the helmets. One was plain and black, with some blue stripe vinyl’s across the side. The other was white with gold accents, a pale lavender clasp to secure it. It was pretty obvious which was which.

Craig came back into the room wearing a navy hoody and black leather biker jacket, taking one helmet from Kyle, who tried not to feel too under dressed next to him, and forcing the redhead to carry his backpack. They mounted the bike, Craig instructing him to get a proper grip around his middle as they did so. Apparently he didn’t do a good enough job, as Craig physical took his hands and wrapped them till his hands were clasped over each other.

It was a bizarre experience. He felt the engine start, his feet tucked into the bike as Craig kicked off. He did his best to follow Craig’s actions, resisting the urge to shuffle too much as they took corners. He knew they were going slow round the corners, but it just felt so _different_ to anything else.

When they started to pick up speed and the brisk wind was catching his jacket, it began to feel almost relaxing. He watched the buildings whizz past as Craig drove them round the town to wherever the shop was, though Kyle wasn’t paying too much attention. He was busy getting closer for warmth as he admired the new experience.

He could see the appeal. They were kind of cool.

The shop was near the edge of town. They began to slow down as they arrived, cars inside in various states of disrepair. A few mechanics were dotted about, looking up as they arrived, some waving. Craig waved back.

Kyle wondered if this was the place that Craig’s dad worked at. He didn’t have to wonder for long as he took a proper look at the sign.

_Tucker’s_

“Your dad owns this place?!”

The response was muffled through the helmet, but it sounded a bit like ‘yeah’.

They came to a slow stop, Craig using his feet to get the bike into the building. The mechanics lingering about nodded towards them, peering at him and waving at Craig. The man didn’t give them much attention.

Kyle got off once he deemed it safe enough, trying hard not to think too much about the lack of warmth. Craig left the bike and took off his helmet with Kyle’s dangling them on the handles and gesturing for Kyle to follow him.

They entered the reception area to find a familiar, kind looking blonde boy behind the counter, smile on his sweet face, wiping his hands with a rag as he greeted them.

“Well, hey there, fellas! How’ve you been?”

“Fine,” Craig’s voice was short and to the point. “Where’s my dad?”

“He’s just in the office doing some paper work; you want me to go get him for you?”

“No, I’ll go,” Craig turned to Kyle with a pinched brow. “I’ll be back in a sec. The coffee’s free.”

Kyle watched as Craig disappeared behind the counter, past the shorter sunshine boy, and into a back office, without saying a word. Without explaining anything about the issue that was now staring Kyle in the face. Without stopping for a moment to make sure Kyle didn’t have a straight up _panic attack_.

“You look a little sick, Kyle. You need me to get you some water?”

“No, it’s fine. I just wasn’t expecting you. To be here. Craig didn’t mention that you were from the same town.”

A bright laugh filled the room. “Yeah, well, he ain’t always forthcoming with info. He mentioned that he was bringing someone home, but I wasn’t expecting it to be – oh! Whoops, forgot. Gotta keep it on the down-low,” one blonde, glass eye winked. “Your secrets safe with me.”

It was Butters. Butters, who was part of the mathematics department at their college. Butters, who he knew as a sort-of-friend through Cartman, and was very juxtaposed to the man. Butters, who apparently knew about their secret even though Craig had _totally neglected to mention anything about this at all._

“How’s your holiday going so far? You enjoying South Park?”

“Uh, yeah,” he laughed nervously as he attempted to keep a semblance of calm around him. “So you work at Craig’s dad’s shop?”

“Yeah, I do. When our school did this Summer work placement trial, I opted to come here! It was more to do the books at first, but I guess it’s hard not to pick up other things when you work at a place like this. They sure do keep busy, what with being one of the most popular mechanics in park county.”

“You guys never hang out,” Kyle dropped to a whisper as he stepped closer to Butters. “He never even mentioned we’d bump into you.”

“Yeah, well, Craig’s kinda…a bit of an asshole. Not to be rude.”

“You hang out with _Cartman_.”

“Aw, c’mon, he ain’t that bad. Just got a few walls up, that’s all.”

“And Craig’s worse?”

Butters shrugged. “It’s not a secret. We just don’t go publicising it. He prefers it that way, and that suits me fine.”

Before he could ask any more questions, the door behind Butters had opened. Thomas stood there, looking like he was about to say something to Butters, but before he could his eyes fell on Kyle and the words left him. He gaped, openly, with wide eyes.

“You brought Kyle on your bike?!”

“Yes,” Craig hissed from behind him, and Thomas stepped out the way enough to show the world his son. His son, who stood there positively seething with a pink face. “I didn’t just fucking leave him on his own. Jesus fuck, dad.”

Thomas didn’t pay any attention to him. Instead he focused on Kyle. “How was the ride? Was it smooth?”

Kyle, who glanced at Butters, before awkwardly answering with: “Yes? I’ve never actually ridden on a motorbike before. I’ve not got much to compare it to.”

“Well ain’t that something. Your first bike ride. That’s just-!”

“Dad!” Craig pressed from behind, sounding a little bit more like a whining teenager than a college student. “Knock it off.”

“Alright, alright, I’ll lay off. It’s still impressive. I’m glad you’ve given someone a ride.”

“Sure, yeah, whatever. I don’t have forever, y’know.”

“C’mon then. I’ll get you sorted.”

Kyle waited with Butters in the reception as Craig and his dad disappeared. He thought about taking the chance to ask about Craig as a child, but the way Butters had spoken about their friendship made him think it’d be a subject best left for someone else. Someone who actually wanted to embarrass him, like Tricia.

It wasn’t long before Craig was back in the room, saying goodbye to his dad who disappeared into his office, asking for Butters’ help with something. The blonde gave a quick goodbye before following his grumpy boss with an unwavering smile.

“Butters?!” Kyle hissed as soon as the door was closed. “What the fuck, Craig?”

“I’m sorry! I didn’t think he would be here!” Craig defended. “Who fucking works over their break?”

“People with good opportunities who want a bit of extra cash?”

“Yeah, okay, whatever. I don’t ever see him. I kind of forgot.”

“Oh my god.”

“I’m sorry – can we just…get out of here?”

Kyle huffed out, but didn’t argue. “Fine. But you owe me, big time.”

“I know. I know.”

He allowed himself to be dragged from the reception, hands slotting together as Craig led him back to the bike. There was a whistle from the distance, which Craig responded to with his middle finger. Kyle gave a wave.

“Your dad seemed pretty impressed by your bike,” Kyle commented as he was handed the white and gold helmet. “Is this the first time you’ve ridden it or something?”

“No. It’s not.”

Kyle raised a brow at the short response. The look on Craig’s face told him there was more. He refused to back down and there was a sense of satisfaction as his inquisitive look drew a long groan from his ‘boyfriend’.

“I’ve never…taken anyone for a ride before,” Craig admitted as he fiddled with his own helmet to distract himself. “That’s why he was being a fucking jackass about it.”

“What, seriously?”

“I mean, I fixed it up myself, so I never found anyone I liked enough to spend time with but didn’t like enough to care for the safety of.”

“Wow, thanks. That the casual acquaintance thing coming back?”

Craig smirked down at him. “Something like that.”

“But Tricia has a helmet?” Kyle waved the thing in his hands about. “This is hers, yeah?”

“Mom wouldn’t let her. We bought the helmets, then when we got home mom found out and banned her till she was eighteen.”

“So…you’ve never taken Thomas for a ride on it either?”

“Don’t make a big deal,” Craig said as he levelled him a look. “Because it’s not a big deal.”

“I don’t know. I feel kind of special, being the only passenger.”

“Maybe you’re just a special boyfriend.”

The flirty tone took him for a spin, but Craig didn’t wait to see his reaction. The man had secured the helmet on his head and straddled the bike as Kyle’s brain had a meltdown. It wasn’t till Craig revved the engine that it snapped him out his stupor and got him on the bike, settling back where he was, squeezing lightly to signal he was ready.

They took off and Kyle waited patiently to see where he was being taken. They drove through some of the avenues of houses, stopping at one that was not the Tucker household.

Craig unclasped his helmet and got off the bike with the order of: “Stay here.”

He watched as Craig went to the front of the house, not even knocking before the door was open. Thomas stood on the other side. Kyle peered round to get a better look of the exchange, seeing Thomas hand over a drawstring bag that Craig tossed over his shoulder.

The blonde boy looked over Craig’s shoulder, grinning and waving. Kyle was happy to wave back.

Craig didn’t say anything as he got back on the bike and put his helmet on, driving them through the streets and away from the centre of town. They passed a church, standing tall with worn looking graveyard gates to the left. At one point Craig decided that no road meant they were just going to use the worn dirt paths, and their ride got considerably bumpier. Kyle tightened his grip and swore he felt the man’s body shake with laughter.

Eventually the trees and the dirt path gave way to a frozen lake that they pulled up next to, a large sign next to it signalling its name as ‘Stark’s Pond’. Kyle remembered briefly Thomas mentioning it when they met, that Tricia had got him to dig out his skates before wimping out herself.

He thought about the bag that was currently around Craig’s shoulder. The backpack weighing on his back.

“You’ve gotta be shitting me.”

They got off the bike and discarded their helmets, and Kyle scrambled to open the backpack he’d been carrying around all day. He gaped at the skates that were staring back at him with shining blades. He looked up at Craig’s smirking face.

“What?”

“You’re joking, right?”

“It’s fine. I do this every year with Clyde. It’s perfectly safe.”

“It can’t be _that_ frozen over.”

“It is,” Craig confirmed. “Colorado mountains, dude. Besides, the lake itself isn’t that deep.”

“Way to make me feel better.”

“We don’t have to,” his voice had gotten softer, and Kyle became hyper aware that they were the only two there. “I figured there was only so many times I could drag you round the mall before you got bored.”

Kyle looked down at the backpack. Craig took it off him, slowly, and put the drawstring back in his arms instead. He watched Craig settle on the bench next to the lake, kicking off his shoes and exchanging them for the boots.

“Want to watch me go first?”

“Yeah…” Kyle nodded. “I do. Help me get them on, first.”

It wasn’t like he couldn’t put them on himself. He just wanted to make sure it was definitely done right.

He watched Craig tighten the clips, crouching in front of the bench where Kyle sat. They stood fully and Kyle gripped onto Craig’s arm as they walked over to the pond. It was a weird experience, balancing on blades as you walked. He wondered if it was what high heels felt like and found a whole new appreciation for Bebe.

“Alright, I’ll go first.”

Kyle nodded and let go of Craig’s arm to let the dark haired man step onto the ice. There was nothing. No cracking, no give, no sign that the ice was even aware of the added weight. Craig wobbled a bit as he took his first few steps, before pushing with a bit more grace and getting some momentum going.

“See? It’s fine.”

The smile on Craig’s face wasn’t one that he’d seen yet that trip. There was no mocking, no hidden amusement. Teeth fully bared in a way that he never got to see. Kyle sucked in a breath and took his first step.

He’d been ice-skating before. He’d gone with Stan and Ike, and they’d gone to a proper ice-skating rink with ice that was treated and smoothed out so there weren’t twigs and uneven surfaces. Granted, the natural lake wasn’t _that bad_ , but it was off putting enough that he stumbled straight into Craig and nearly fell on his ass.

“I’ve got you.”

“Thanks.”

“We found a sport you’re not too savvy with, huh?”

Kyle shot him a dirty look, though it was ruined by the badly hidden smile. “Fuck off.”

They set off, getting closer to the centre as they moved. Craig gave him a few mumbled instructions to keep him steady and help to move his feet before he was moving with confidence. His first fall was enough to make him realise that it wasn’t that bad if he fell, just a bit of stinging pain, and at least Craig was there to get him back on his feet while laughing at him.

He was laughing too at least.

Craig himself was only fractionally more graceful than he was. The man was having fun, showing off a little as he sped up and let go of Kyle’s hand to show him different tricks that he and Clyde did, though delicate wasn’t a word he’d use. He’d skate fast before turning one skate, showering Kyle with shaved ice, who swore back in retaliation and attempted to scramble at Craig.

They attempted to spin in a circle together only to both fall on their asses. Craig’s unguarded laughter was perfectly suited to him. Deep, unforgiving, and surprisingly catching.

“I think I need a break,” Kyle admitted after the sky had started to darken. “I’ve fallen over one too many times. I can feel myself bruising.”

“It’s getting dark anyway,” Craig noted. “We can call it there.”

They stumbled off the ice and into the snow, racing back to the bench where they landed heavily. Kyle somehow managed to wrangle his skates off him before Craig had gotten his shoes laced up.

The silence that settled over them was comfortable. The bench was cold, and while they’d brushed the snow off it didn’t stop some dampness seeping into his trousers. But there was something nice about being there just the two of them without eyes on them, scrutinising how they were interacting. Just enjoying the peace of the area.

“I’m sorry I ditched you with Butters earlier.”

Kyle looked over, seeing Craig staring up at the sky, moon showing with the sunset dimming.

“I never really know what to do about him,” his voice was low, but the silence of the woods made it sound loud. “And I knew you weren’t really friends with him, exactly. We only ever really speak if we have to.”

“He works with your dad,” Kyle watched ever facial muscle on Craig for a hint of emotion. “He works with your dad, and he’s from your home town, and at college neither of you even acknowledge each other.”

“Yeah, that’ll happen when you bully someone relentlessly during their childhood.”

He spoke with the same, deadpan voice that he did when he spoke about pushing his sister down the stairs. But the words he used were a little more dramatic.

“I was an asshole kid. Not much better as a teenager, but at least I’d stopped kicking kids in the schoolyard and focused on my grades a bit more. We applied for the same college, and didn’t even know it. We didn’t know until we were at college looking at each other in class.

“And so I approached him, and I told him that we weren’t friends, but that if anyone gave him shit, I’d kick their ass. And he told me that was the first time he ever saw me show guilt about it.”

Kyle felt his heart in his ribs. He let Craig keep talking.

“So when I lied to my parents about my fake boyfriend, Tweek comes over and asks about why Butters congratulated him on our relationship. So, I had to explain it to Butters. And he told me that he’d roll with it, if I agreed to lie to our parents that the reason neither of us went home over Summer break was because we had coursework, so he could go party with Cartman.”

“That’s so weird,” Kyle said after a moment of silence. “That’s so fucking weird.”

“Yeah, it is.”

“I can’t believe you grew up with Butters.”

“We didn’t exactly _grow up_ together. We just live in the same county. Big deal.”

“Yeah, big deal.”

“He probably should’ve gone to a better college. He’s fucking smart.”

“So are you.”

Craig didn’t respond.

The silence descended long enough for Kyle to let his guard down. He almost jumped in shock at Craig’s next words.

“So, you gonna talk about your lack of a major?”

“What the fuck?” Kyle sat up properly, looking down to see Craig still lounging back, but that the stormy eyes were focused on him. “Where did that come from?”

“You made me talk about my sister and Thomas, I’m making you talk about your major.”

“I didn’t _make_ you do anything.”

Craig frowned. “So did. You tell me something, I told you something. Except now it’s opposite. So tell me, what’s with your major?”

Kyle groaned and slumped back again, realising he’d managed to inadvertently trap himself in a corner. Who knew that was going to bite him on the ass? “I…don’t know what you want me to say.”

“Alright, I’ll make it simpler. Do you know what you do want to do?”

“Not really,” Kyle admitted. “I was always interested in science at school.”

“I would’ve never guessed, considering how many science classes I see you in.”

He landed a solid elbow in Craig’s side. The man rubbed the wound and grunted, though there was a smile on his face. Kyle continued his train of thought: “I guess I liked biology a lot. I dragged Stan’s ass through that class. He was a bit too squeamish at first for it all. And he didn’t like the idea of dissecting things.”

“Fuckin’ pussy.”

“There’s nothing wrong with having an appreciation for the environment. And if it meant I had to help him break free some animals then hey, for the greater good, right?”

“You’re not as well behaved as you make out to be,” Craig rumbled. “I bet you were a fucking nightmare.”

“Maybe.”

There was a silence as they waited for him to speak. He took a little while to summon the courage.

“I’ve always liked animals too, I guess. Probably less than Stan. And I like academics. Research. I always thought I’d go into R&D.”

“Why didn’t you? Just couldn’t pick your field?”

“I’m…your dad was right,” he ignored the way his voice cracked. He was glad Craig did too. “I’m not good at committing to things. Just when I think I’ve got a grasp on what I want, I just – it’s a big deal, okay? Picking a major? Pidgeon holing myself into one field that I’m going to spend the rest of my life in? What if it’s the wrong one? What if I graduate and I get a job and I realise I hate it and I made the biggest mistake of my life? What if-!”

He jumped as a hand landed on his leg. He looked over, seeing Craig’s eyes trained on him. He took a breath.

“Jesus, dude. You’re pretty high strung.”

Kyle groaned out. “I know. Everyone makes it look so easy. Stan took a few general classes before he knew perfectly what he wanted to do, and Wendy was – she’s so _driven_. She went in and knew exactly what she wanted to do. I just picked the same college as Stan and hoped for the best. A year on, and I still don’t know.”

“Let’s say you make the wrong decision. You get a job, and you hate it, that’s your fear, right?”

He nodded.

“And?” Craig gestured up. “Big deal. You fucked up. Spoiler alert; that’s life. But if you never actually make the decision in the first place, then you fucked up anyway, so you might as well pick something.”

Kyle raised a brow. “What a pep talk.”

“I’m serious!” Craig defended. “Committing to shit is hard, yet you’ve decided to come and commit to someone who you didn’t know at first for an entire week in front of people you didn’t even know, and you haven’t fucked it up yet.”

He stared. He didn’t quite know what to say.

“You’re so committed to your best friend that apparently you followed him to a different state for college, and judging from how close you are, I wouldn’t say that was a mistake.”

It was true. Picking which college never felt like a mistake.

“Maybe you should give yourself more credit.”

He couldn’t hold Craig’s gaze any longer. He turned away. Craig grabbed his chin and _forced_ the eye contact. His expression was firm. Fiery.

“My parents wanted me to go into law,” he confessed. The words tumbled from his mouth and left a bad aftertaste. “But I didn’t want to, but I didn’t want to disappoint them.”

“What’s so bad that it would disappoint them?”

“Marine biology,” Kyle confessed. “I’ve thought about it, a few times. Mom said I don’t know anything about it, and that I’d be wasting my time. I’d be better going into something I’m more familiar with.”

“Fuck your mom.”

“Hey!”

“Fuck you,” Craig continued. He let go of Kyle’s face. “You’re not wasting your time, trying something you want to do. You’re not a waste of time, Kyle.”

He broke. There was no warning, no slow build up. Water broke the dam and then he was wrapped in a tight hug, head tucked under Craig’s chin, with his own arms wrapped around the man’s waist. He wasn’t an attractive crier. He sobbed and gasped for air and shook with the force of it all. He was a wet crier. Tears, snot, saliva. He swallowed and sniffed best he could so he didn’t gross Craig out. Didn’t ruin Craig’s hoody or jacket.

By the time he’d calmed down, the sun had definitely set, and took his sadness with it. It left embarrassment in it’s wake, and he prayed that it was too dark to see the redness on his face or the puffiness of his eyes.

“Sorry…”

Craig patted him on the back. “It’s fine. I’m not…I’m not great at comforting people, so…”

He laughed through a hiccup. “You’re not as bad as you think you are.”

It may have been dark, but he could see the smile. See how warm the fierce eyes looked. Feel how his own heart skipped a beat. He opened his mouth as if to say something, anything, to keep the moment going. He just wanted to hold onto it for a little bit longer.

But it was broken by the sound of Craig’s stomach growling. The man looked mortified, smile disappearing, as he began to fumble through an apology. Kyle couldn’t help but laugh, openly, as the tears of sadness made way for fresh tears of humour. Craig was quick to recover, scowling as he landed a punch a little too hard in Kyle’s shoulder.

“Fucking asshole.”

“Sorry!” Kyle wiped his eyes as he tried to calm down. Again. “Sorry, I just – we haven’t really eaten much today, huh?”

“Only breakfast. Wanna grab something on the way back?”

“Yeah. I’ll get it. My treat, seeing as you took me ice-skating.”

Craig snorted, smile on his face as he helped pack up the skates and get ready to leave.

They stopped off at some taco place, wanting something fast with little fuss. He had to stop himself laughing as the servers cooed at the couple behind the counter, whispering between themselves in a way that was nowhere near as subtle as they might’ve thought. He could practically see the steam coming out of Craig’s ears.

“I guess living in a small town means you know everyone, huh?”

“Most people. I try to stay out of other people’s business, even if they don’t do the same damn thing.”

When they got home, Laura scolded them for not texting forward that they weren’t having dinner, though it clearly hadn’t stopped anyone else from eating. Whatever bickering was going to happen between the mother and son was stopped by Thomas, sitting there with his paper looking innocent before he opened his mouth.

“Craig took Kyle for a ride on his motorbike.”

Laura looked gobsmacked. Tricia made a noise of protest.

“I was meant to get the first ride!” she shouted up from her place on the couch. “I can’t believe – did he give you my helmet, too?!”

“Don’t be a bitch, Trish.”

“Don’t be an asshole, _Fucker_.”

Laura turned to Kyle with a wide smile. “Did he tell you that he’s never let anyone ride with him before?”

“Uh, yeah, he mentioned it.”

“Did he mention he was waiting for me, too?!”

“I wasn’t _waiting_ for you, alright? I don’t know what the big deal is, fuck.”

“Just you wait, I’ve been holding back embarrassing you too much, but I’m gonna unleash your most embarrassing childhood stories! Mark my words!”

“C’mon, Kyle, let’s go upstairs.”

Tricia wasn’t done; shouting after them as Craig dragged Kyle along. “Did Craig ever tell you he was a _choir boy_ before he hit high school and decided he was too cool for that?”

“How about you _fuck off_ , Ruby?” Craig shouted back, speeding up a bit as Kyle started sniggering away on the stairs.

“You were in choir?”

“Don’t you fucking start,” Craig warned.

They got into the bedroom and spent the rest of the night in front of Kyle’s laptop until they couldn’t keep their eyes open and were forced to put the laptop away and crawl into bed. Craig was out like a light, chest rising and falling as he faced the ceiling, eyes shut and entirely peaceful.

Kyle went to sleep with a smile on his face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm gonna remember to leave a chapter note this time 
> 
> I have many feelings on this chapter and they're very mixed. I was very VERY unsure about making it so they knew Butters. I was torn between having him just a random person who worked there and having him attend the same university, but I hope it worked!!


	6. Chapter 6

It was something outside that woke him up on the Saturday morning. He groaned as he came to the land of the living, rolling onto his back. There were sounds of people running around outside and chattering. Not explicitly talking about them like the last time he was woken by noise. Just background noise this time. 

“Fuck…” 

He turned to see Craig stirring next to him, heel of his hand rubbing one of his eyes as he tried to wake up. 

“What time is it?” 

His voice was croaky in a way that only added to his attractive points. Kyle cursed him silently and tried not to seethe with jealousy. He just looked like more of a troll first thing in a morning with his pasty skin showing off bags under his eyes and his wild hair even wilder than normal. 

He turned to his phone, checking the time. “It’s about half eleven. We were up late.” 

“Thanks. Shit, I’m hungry.” 

Kyle chuckled at the memory of Craig’s stomach going the night before. “We should probably get up. It is late.” 

“Yeah, probably.” 

But neither of them made to move. Craig was laid on his side facing him, and Kyle shuffled slightly to do the same. He wasn’t sure if it was weird, the way he was staring, but Craig didn’t say anything if it was. Instead he just stared back, stormy eyes dull from the tiredness, stubble lining the usually clean-shaven face. He opened his mouth to speak and-! 

There was a loud banging on the door, followed by; _We’re eating! If either of you want food get your asses downstairs!”_

Craig groaned as Laura’s footsteps disappeared down the stairs, Kyle biting down on his smile. “Sorry about my mom.” 

“It’s fine. She’s nice.” 

“She’s suddenly decided to take an overninvested interest in my personal life, is what she is,” Craig grumbled. “C’mon. I want food.” 

Kyle did his best not to watch too closely as the other man rolled out of bed and began to get dressed. He turned away quickly once the t-shirt was off and the hands moved for his boxers. 

Instead he busied himself with getting ready. When he turned round he caught Craig showing far too much interest in the posters above his computer, fully ready to go, scratching the back of his head. Acting like he might’ve been caught doing something he shouldn’t. 

Kyle didn’t dwell on it, instead clearing his throat and announcing: “Ready.” 

“Cool,” Craig turned, smiled briefly, and headed for the door. 

When they got downstairs they found Tricia and Laura at the table, various cold finger foods out around them. The boys settled, getting their own food on their plates before Laura tried to engage them in conversation. 

“Do you have plans for the day?” 

Craig shrugged. “Not really. Stay in. Watch some trash TV.” 

“I have the day off. I could take you somewhere, if you wanted? Show Kyle some more of South Park?” 

“I think Kyle’s seen all of South Park. There is nothing left to offer. Mall, town, Stark’s Pond, done.” 

Kyle elbowed the man in the side with a cheeky smile. “I dunno. You still haven’t taken me to the ass-lab.” 

Craig snapped his head up, eyes full of fury, probably ready to shoot him down again before-! 

“Craig! You haven’t taken him to Dr Mephesto’s lab?” Laura scolded. “I know you haven’t had much reason to visit now that it’s not a functioning lab, exactly, but-!” 

“But nothing, mom, I wasn’t going to take him to the lab. End of. It’s just some – weird tourist attraction now, there’s no point.” 

Tricia’s eyes lit up across the table, and she turned to look at Kyle with that shark smile. “He hasn’t _told you_ , has he?” 

“Told me what?” 

Laura tsk’ed at her son. “I can’t believe you’re embarrassed about it. That man took you in, the least you can do is have some pride in it.” 

“It _is_ embarrassing, mom!” 

Tricia was the one who filled in the blanks: “Our school has us do like, this work placement thing, yeah? Well, Butters got a work placement at dad’s garage, so Craig had to go somewhere else for his, and the only science-themed ones going were-!” she paused for dramatic effect, her fingers spread wide. “-Mephesto’s Genetics Lab!” 

Kyle turned to Craig with a slack jaw. “You worked at-?” 

“Yes! Okay? I did my work placement at the fucking ass-lab.” 

“Don’t call it that, have some respect.” 

Craig groaned, looking ready to bury his own face into his food to get away from the room. 

“I can take you up, Kyle,” Laura offered. “Even if Craig doesn’t come. It’s an interesting place!” 

“It’s a _pointless place_. He made a clone! An actual, kind of unstable clone, and he chose to spend most of his time adding asses to-!” 

Tricia gave a loud, obnoxious groan. “Not this again. Suck it up, Craig-o. Your precious _boyfriend_ wants to go, you should take him!” 

Craig’s mouth snapped shut. He glowered across the table. Kyle shuffled in his seat, feeling far too uncomfortable in the room at that moment. 

“Well, it’s settled then!” Laura decided with a smile in contrast to her children’s snarls. “We’ll go to the Mephesto’s Genetics Lab! It’ll be a fun trip out together, me, you, and Kyle!” 

“I’m coming.” 

They turned to Tricia, who was looking Craig dead on. Kyle felt his stomach churn. 

“Aw, that’ll be nice! It’ll be like a little family trip. Except without your dad.” 

“Lovely,” Tricia agreed, smile stretching wide as she held eye contact with Craig. 

“Fuckin’ great.” 

Kyle looked across to Laura for help, but she’d gone back to eating with the normal behaviour between her children. Kyle was just left wondering what he’d let himself in for. 

\-- 

Craig stepped up his game. He kicked his feet up onto Kyle’s lap in the car on the journey over, lounging lazily across the back seats. He slouched against him in the parking lot as their waited for the girls to get out the car, hands tucked into Kyle’s jacket pockets. He tugged at the flaps on Kyle’s ushanka like a kid pulling pigtails in a schoolyard. Kyle desperately tried to keep up his face at the same speed. 

He was struggling, due to his brain being absolutely fried by all the blood rushing to his face. 

He’d noticed it as well though, the eyes that lingered on them, full of judgement. With only one day left, Tricia Tucker seemed to have decided she was going to full unleash herself on the both of them. His only saving grace was that when she wanted to annoy her brother, her brother was happy to give her the attention back. 

“Get off!” Tricia snapped as they stood in the queue, whacking at her brother’s hand, glaring up at his smirk. “Mom! Tell Craig! He’s being an ass!” 

“Mom, tell Trish, she’s being annoying.” 

“You’re not five. Fucking – just give him a whack back or something,” 

They finally got a moment between themselves as Laura and Tricia stood at the desk paying entry to the place. A small fee for all of them together. They stood off to one side, and Kyle took the chance of being so close to Craig with the man’s arm around his shoulder to tease him while the others weren’t looking. 

“You were in choir, and you did a work placement with the ass-man, huh?” 

Craig growled low as he glared down. “Don’t fucking start.” 

“Not to mention the Red Racer posters that are still in your room.” 

“Holy shit – if we get back and I have Marsh on my ass about shit that I did as a kid, I’m gonna know it was you.” 

Kyle practically grinned with glee at the threat. “How do you know it’s not too late to threaten me?” 

“I take back everything I said about us being friends. I hate you. So, so much.” 

“I’ve got to have some kind of payment for this week.” 

“My company not enough for you?” 

“A little rough around the edges, maybe?” Kyle teased. 

Craig ducked down further to speak lower. Kyle’s eyes dropped down to take in the smirk on his face as the man opened his mouth to talk, and-! 

“Alright, let’s get going you two!” 

The pair snapped apart, looking up to see Laura disappearing into the main lobby, Tricia behind her. The girl’s eagle eyes were on them, watching as she walked. 

Craig clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth. 

“You think she’s on surveillance?” Kyle asked. 

“Yeah, I do.” 

He didn’t say anything else as he pulled his arm back and gestured for Kyle to follow. 

The main lobby was pretty impressive, if he was honest. The place was huge, and while now it looked a lot like a museum, he could see how it might’ve once been an impressive laboratory. The ceilings were tall around the circular lobby, and the people who worked there were dressed up like scientists to fall in with the aesthetic of the place. The floor above had a balcony that overlooked the lobby and the main feature of the room; a large mock-up of a containment tank holding a donkey that had three asses. 

Kyle had to bite down on his knuckle not to openly react in a way that might be construed as rude to Laura. 

“Fuck, I can’t believe we’re here,” Craig whispered next to him, sounding strained. “I’m so sorry.” 

“It’s – I mean, is that real?” 

“Yes, it’s real. I think it’s a taxidermy of the original.” 

“Holy shit.” 

Craig groaned into his hands. 

Kyle ignored the clear embarrassment, moving towards the tank with wonder in his eyes as he got close and hovered over the barrier, taking in the sight. “That’s…incredible? Like, how does it even – did it work?” 

“What, like an animal? Yes.” 

“How? How did he do – _this_?!” 

He spun round to look at Craig, who was standing a few feet behind him. There was a strange look on the pink face, like he was struggling to settle between amused and exasperated, with his hands shoved in his pockets. He looked over to where his mother and sister were, nattering away as the laughed at something on the wall, and scratched the back of his head. 

The wall crumbled. He let out a sigh. “You wanna know that badly?” 

“Yes!” Kyle pressed, wide smile on his face. “It’ll like, help me settle on a major, or whatever. Y’know. Genetics, it’s a facet of biology.” 

He rolled his eyes despite the smile that had firmly settled on his face. “Fine. C’mon, I’ll – try to explain it.” 

Kyle tired not to be too excited about it as Craig stepped forward and begin to talk about things. They were joined by Laura and Tricia at one point, though the pair quickly lost interest when they realised just how technical Craig was being. Kyle didn’t mind, if he was honest. 

They looked round the lobby before Craig took him up the stairs towards the balcony that surrounded the area. There were various signs that pointed to other areas, and a little lift with a tour guide standing near it that was taking people around. Kyle couldn’t help think he probably got the better end of the stick, having his personal tour guide. 

Craig was leaning against the balcony edge as he explained how it had been one of Dr Mephesto’s favourite places to stand, overlooking the work that was happening below. He pointed out various things you could see from the vantage point, including a work station that Craig had spent most of his time being an errand boy for the real scientists. 

“Y’know, this is pretty cool.” 

Craig scowled. “Don’t patronise me.” 

Kyle smiled up at the man. “I’m being serious. I get that the work is kind of…uh, interesting? But the fact that you helped genetically alter a mouse’s growth patterns?” 

“Yeah, well. I just wish I could’ve made it do something more useful rather than have options as to where it took a shit from.” 

He sniggered at that. “Was there anything else that he let you do? Like, how hands on was a work placement for a teenager?” 

Craig shrugged, but he seemed to brighten at the opportunity to gloat. “He gave me pretty wide free-range of equipment. He had a lot of scientists who worked here, and quite a few sponsors that invested money into different projects. Which is how he made – you remember me talking about the clone?” 

“Yeah, I remember that.” 

“And then when I was here we engineered something that was basically steroids, but altered the genetic code instead. A lot of shit he made was super unstable. There’d always be a point where he’d give the results to someone along with the comment of ‘you should not play god’ or some bullshit.” 

He listened to Craig talk for a little bit longer, It was entertaining to watch how expressive the usually stoic boy could be; speaking with his hands as he got lost in retelling what kind of person Dr Mephesto had been. The whole week had honestly been a bit eye opening into how talkative Craig could be when he was given the opportunity. 

Eventually there was a lull in the conversation, both leaning over the railing to observe the room with their elbows touching. Kyle found himself scanning the floor they were on, looking across the gap to the opposite side of the balcony. 

Laura was there, with her back to them. Tricia was there, her eyes pinned on them. The look sent a shiver down his spine. 

“Your sister’s watching us,” Kyle muttered, looking back down at the scene below. “She’s on the other side with your mom.” 

“I know. She’s not being subtle.” 

He glanced up for a moment to see Craig’s reaction. He had a scowl on his face, previous enthusiasm sapped. Kyle swallowed a lump in his throat as his mind raced. 

It was a chance. One chance, to convince her. Their last day before they went back tomorrow. The only chance he was going to get. He’d been brought along to play a part, and convince the whole family. He wouldn’t be able to go back knowing he hadn’t succeeded. 

“Hey.” 

Craig looked down at Kyle’s voice, brow smoothing out into a questioning gaze. 

Kyle smiled as warmly as he could through his nerves, biting his lower lip and raising a hand to cup Craig’s cheek and angle his face better. Craig didn’t seem to be clicking, instead a scowl formed on his face and his eyes flickered between Kyle to figure out what was happening. It made him laugh a little. 

“Just tell me if it’s too much.” 

Him leaning up seemed to kick-start Craig’s brain into realising what was happening. The shock was downright endearing. 

“Try not to look surprised when she’s looking, yeah?” 

“Sorry,” was the only thing Craig managed to mumble out before their lips met. 

He’d kissed people before. Sure, not loads of people, but enough that he could safely say he knew what he was doing. Maybe it was more because it had been a while since he’d been this close to anyone that had sent him spinning a little. Maybe it was because of the build up over the past few days. Whatever it was, it was _intoxicating._

A simple press of lips, one hand still holding Craig’s face to bring him in as the other one snaked round his waist. He felt Craig’s arms wrap around him, pulling him in close until their chests were pressed together. It only lasted a few seconds before he pulled back, Craig’s eyes fluttering open above him. 

He dipped forward for a second kiss. He didn’t even think about it. 

That time he felt movement against him, though the feeling surprised him. He felt Craig’s lips shifting, the kiss pulling a smile out on the grumpy boy’s face. It was enough to bring Kyle back to his senses, heat rising in his cheeks as he pulled back fast with an apology on his lips at his actions. 

The words died on his tongue at the look that Craig was giving him. 

It was a soft smile, unlike any of the ones he’d seen so far. The dark brows twitched in amusement at the flush on his face, and the unusually warm eyes were roaming across his face. 

Flickering down to his mouth, before back up. It stirred something in his stomach. When he tried to put more distance between them, he found Craig’s hands clasped together behind his back preventing his escape. He licked his lips before he spoke. 

“Sorry,” Kyle started. “I didn’t mean to – the second one.” 

“It was cute.” 

He huffed at the embarrassment. “Cute?” 

“Yeah. It’s a good look on you.” 

“Jackass.” 

The rumbling chuckle was so much better when he could actually feel it against the hand that had left Craig’s face and settled just below his collarbone. 

He glanced over to see that Tricia had lost interest. Lost interest and left the room, apparently. Craig was quick to let go of him once he also realised they were no longer being watched. Kyle brushed himself down, clearing his throat and avoiding eye contact as the realisation of what really happened properly sunk in. 

When he finally looked at Craig, he saw the taller man looked just as embarrassed about the whole thing. Running a hand through his hair as he puffed out a breath, looking upwards towards the centre of the room. 

Kyle elbowed him in the side, smirk on his face once he had Craig’s attention. “Weren’t you meant to be giving me a tour, before you got distracted?” 

An attractive flush lit up Craig’s face, who was smirking despite trying to look defensive. “Don’t give yourself too much credit.” 

It was the push they needed to keep walking, hands in their pockets and elbows bumping, heading towards the next display. 

The afternoon continued the same, the pair of them moving around the various exhibits that the place had. He let Craig get lost in the explanations and the memories, trying his best to keep up with the right questions. He was distracting himself with laughter though, in response to how frustrated Craig seemed to get at the whole thing. He would’ve loved to see what a teenage Craig was like, being told he had to do these various experiments that he found so pointless. 

Eventually they met up with the Tucker women again, who were settled in a little café chattering away. 

“Did you have fun?” Laura asked him as he sat down next to her. “Is it what you imagined?” 

“I don’t know what I imagined, honestly. But I had fun, yeah.” 

She smiled wide. “Good! I felt sorry for you, with Craig as your tour guide.” 

“Mom!” 

She laughed at his outrage. 

Tricia smiled sweetly. “Are you telling us you didn’t spend most of the time bitching and moaning?” 

Craig didn’t even attempt to defend himself. He just glared, though it looked a little more like a pout. 

Kyle didn’t quite notice the smile that was dancing on his face. 

“Are you going to see Clyde again before you leave?” Laura asked. “You did promise him, didn’t you?” 

“Only if you don’t mind going to see him,” Craig replied, though he was addressing Kyle. 

“I don’t mind,” Kyle insisted. “He was pretty cool.” 

“Then, yeah. I’ll find out if he’s free.” 

Kyle did end up buying Stan a souvenir from the gift shop. A new mug, with a cheesy picture and the title of the laboratory across the front. Craig grimaced at the knowledge it was going to Stan, who was probably then going to _know_. Kyle just gave his most innocent smile. 

They were taken back to the Tucker household, but rather than going into the house with the pair, they instead turned and headed towards the house next door. Craig knocked, but didn’t wait before letting himself in. Kyle followed a little uneasy. 

The brunette was down in seconds, a wide grin on his face before he wrapped Craig in a tight hug. This time Craig seemed a little more receptive. 

“Dude! You came!” 

“I promised, didn’t I?” 

“You leave tomorrow, right?” 

“Yeah, I do.” 

Clyde turned to Kyle and gestured for a hug. Kyle stepped forward to reciprocate. 

“C’mon then, I’ve got the Xbox plugged in upstairs, and three controllers ready to go!” 

Spending the next few hours with Clyde was a very different mode to the Tucker’s. It felt more like he was just hanging out with Stan, playing games until it was well past dinner time and completely forgetting to eat. 

It was nice to see Craig in that environment, too. As the night continued, he became more expressive, more willing to shove and push his way to victory. A bitter loser, and a smug winner. It was infuriating. It was perfectly him. 

Clyde was a pretty chill guy, and while his first impression had been to notice how different he was to Craig, his last was to notice how well they complimented each other. Clyde could make Craig laugh, and Craig could bring Clyde back to the present when he was beginning to get distracted or worried. 

It made him miss Stan, more than he expected. 

Clyde made them snacks before they went home, refusing to let them go without feeding them. Turned out, Clyde was pretty good with food. 

“Dude, this is so nice,” Kyle complimented. 

Clyde grinned wide. “Thanks! I like to cook.” 

“Its why I keep him around,” Craig teased with a smirk. 

“Hey! I’m the one keeping you around, Mr Grump. Kyle gets it lucky. You’ve been in a good mood this holiday with him around! Especially today!” 

Kyle sniggered at the bright flush that spread across Craig’s cheeks and ears. 

They waved as they piled out the house, Clyde shouting after them. In their rush Kyle nearly slipped over on the icy driveway, Craig’s laughter filling his ears. It earned him a well placed elbow in the ribs from Kyle. 

When the redhead looked up, Craig was already looking at him, laughter dying down. Through his smile, Kyle could see his teeth, gap included. Craig was quick to try hide them, though he didn’t stop smiling. 

Kyle eyes flickered between the steely eyes and the pink lips. He looked back to the ground before he fell again. 

His brain flashed the memory of feeling those lips against his own. He cleared his throat as he tried to clear his mind. 

The rest of the Tuckers looked ready for bed when they got home. Tricia was finishing in the shower, while Laura had fallen asleep on the couch waiting for her to finish. Thomas was pottering around in the kitchen, cleaning up after the day. Craig stopped long enough to scare his mom awake before the boys disappeared upstairs. 

Kyle was behind Craig, wondering if the man’s legs had always been that long. 

Tricia’s door shut as they disappeared into Craig’s room, and it was like the events of the day came rushing at him all at once as he stood by the closed door, watching Craig sit on the edge of his bed and toe off his shoes, leaning back on his arms. 

His staring didn’t go unnoticed for long. Soon his eye were met by the blue-grey ones opposite, and the air seemed to still around them. Craig didn’t question him at first, just stared back, unblinking. He didn’t say anything until Kyle broke the eye contact, looking down as he took off his own shoes, careful not to stray too far from the door. 

“Are you alright?” 

He did his best to smile at the question. “Yeah, I’m fine. Just tired, dude.” 

“Are you sure?” 

He looked up again, meeting the eyes that were still trained on him. The intensity of the stare was making him feel a little bare, and left him folding his arms across his chest as if that would help cover himself. He felt like his thoughts might be written across his face for the other man to see. Though... 

What exactly were the thoughts? 

“I’m just...” 

He couldn’t finish his sentence. He didn’t know how. Craig waited, but nothing came. 

The dark-haired man finally looked away, scowling down at the floor. Kyle felt safe enough to look at him again, but it did nothing for his heart and the heat rising throughout his body. 

“I’m sorry if...today made you feel weird. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable. I might’ve gone a bit overboard, trying to prove something to Trish.” 

“It’s not that I’m uncomfortable,” Kyle insisted, guilt setting in. “I’m the one who-!” 

Craig looked up, cocking a brow. 

“Y’know.” 

“You can’t even say it,” Craig scolded with his furrowed brows back in place. “You’re totally uncomfortable.” 

“I’m not!” 

“Well, say it then.” 

“Say what?” 

“Say that you were the one who kissed me.” 

It sent a jolt straight down his spine. He scowled back at the intense gaze. “Fine! I’m the one who _kissed you_ , so I don’t know what you’re feeling guilty about. If I’m comfortable it’s my own damn fault.” 

“So you are?” 

Kyle practically wanted to tear his hair out. “You’re so – yes, okay? But not how you think. I’m not – it's hard to explain.” 

“Well, try to explain it, and I’ll try to understand.” 

He was so... 

_Insufferable._

Kyle glared across the room. “My head’s just...my thoughts are all over the place. I don’t know where to start. 

“Start anywhere. Does it matter?” 

He gave in. He started with the first thought that sprung to mind. The one that had been creeping in slowly for the past couple of days. 

“It’s not like you’re unattractive,” Kyle threw his hands wide and rolled his eyes. “Anyone with _eyes_ knows you’re attractive! I just think – it’s probably all this pretending stuff, it’s just messing with my head a bit. I can’t stop thinking about earlier and how – how it felt like I’d been waiting for it. How I’m still waiting for it.” 

“Uh, I’m not – I’m not sure what to say.” 

Kyle flushed in shame. “It’s fine. I’m sorry to spring it on you. I – it’s been a weird week. An emotional week.” 

“Would it help to like…I dunno, get it out your system?” 

He raised a brow, looking Craig up and down. “What do you mean?” 

“Y’know, blow off some steam, or whatever. You said you were still waiting.” 

“Are you…I’m not looking for a pity fuck, Craig.” 

“No, that’s not-!” Craig all but growled in frustration. “I’ve spent the past few days actively reminding myself that you’re not _actually_ my boyfriend, and no matter how much I want to pin you to a wall and kiss you senseless, I can’t.” 

Kyle felt the heat hit his face full force. 

“But if you’re also feeling a bit – _frustrated_ – then I don’t see how it would hurt to just…be less frustrated, right?” 

He was floored. It was taking him a full minute to actually recover from the knowledge that _Craig Tucker_ had any real, tangible interest in him. When he did, he walked closer to the bed, stopping as his legs hit Craig’s knees, getting the dark-haired man to look up at him. The eyes were swimming with something Kyle couldn’t put his thumb on, but it was familiar. It was a look he’d seen the man wear, while looking at him. 

Kyle reached for Craig’s shoulders the same time he felt hands on his waist. “If you’re playing some kind of joke, I’m going to go out there and tell your parents you’re a sad weirdo who hired a rando to pose as your boyfriend.” 

Craig smirked. It sent sparks straight through Kyle. “You’re not hired. You’re not getting paid shit.” 

When their lips met that time, he had a little more confidence. 

He wrapped his arms around Craig’s shoulders, allowing his hands to wander into the dark locks on the man’s head. His hair was soft, as soft as it looked, and against Kyle’s lips and chin where their skin met he could feel the soft tell-tale of stubble creeping through. It had him pushing further. 

As their lips moved against each other he crawled into Craig’s lap, straddling him on the bed. It made for a more comfortable position as he brought his body up against Craig’s to properly feel the full force of the kiss, gripping his collar and pulling him closer – as if it was possible to do that. 

Craig responded in kind, and he felt the man’s hands beginning to wander. From his waist round his back, tugging at his shirt before roaming down to his lower back and the curve of his ass. He felt himself get pulled closer, shuffling further, wanting _more_. 

“Shit,” Craig muttered as he pulled away, opening his mouth to say something else. 

Kyle silenced him with a brief kiss before murmuring against his lips: “The most surprising thing? That you’re such a chatterbox.” 

He took the message. He stopped talking. 

Kyle didn’t relent, even when they both fell backwards. His hands tugged on the hair that was tangled around his fingers and he let out a moan that sounded far too loud to his ears as Craig bit down on his bottom lip. 

He ran his tongue across the dark haired man’s bottom lip, hips twisting downwards. A low, rumbling growl was the only warning he got before Craig flipped them over. 

His mouth ran dry as Craig pulled back, propping Kyle’s legs up over his own, and reached his hands down to the hem of his shirt. Another surprising thing about Craig was how he wasn’t a total twiglet, despite the fact that Kyle never saw him anywhere near the gym or sports halls. Though, that only made him think of what his arms had looked like when he worked on his motorcycle in the garage. 

He sat up to tear off his own shirt, tossing it off the side of the bed, before reaching in for another kiss. 

“Wait,” Craig gasped between kisses. “Just - can we-?” 

He took guidance from the man who shuffled them on the bed, Kyle’s head against the pillows and Craig’s legs slotting against his own, reaching down till their feet were touching, one leg between Kyle’s, one outside. 

If he thought just kissing him was intoxicating, he wasn’t ready for the drunken haze that was caused by having bare flesh against his own, chest to chest. The noises he was making were far too desperate not to be embarrassing, but the enthusiasm in the hands that roamed across his body made him feel much more comfortable in the heavy atmosphere. 

Tongue met tongue. Skin met skin. He didn’t realise just how much he was desiring it until it was right there, under his fingertips. 

He jumped in shock and bit down a little too hard on Craig’s lip as the door opened. 

“Craig, what time are – oh!” 

“Mom!” Craig shouted out with a red face. “What the fuck?!” 

“Whoops! Sorry, honey!” 

“Learn to knock!” 

“I wanted to know what time you were going tomorrow? If you needed waking up?” 

Craig sighed out as he rubbed the heel of his hand into his temple. “No, we’ll just – I'll set an alarm on my phone, and we’ll leave after breakfast.” 

“Alright. I’ll let you boys get back to it.” 

The door shut, and silence descended. He didn’t know how to react. He was looking at the ceiling, torn between laughing and crying, lying stock still underneath the other man. 

The other man, who decided the best response was to pull back like he’d been burnt while saying: “I need a shower.” 

“You - what?” Kyle sprang up, feeling far too cold without the other man on top of him. “Why?” 

“Why do you _think_?” 

A flush settled over his face as Craig disappeared from the room, holding his bed clothes in front of him for cover, leaving Kyle on the bed. He didn’t have to think too hard about the why, considering he wasn’t that far away from needing a cold shower himself. 

But the interruption had calmed his arousal a lot, as had being abandoned on a bed. He lay back on the pillows, letting the past however long they’d been making out for process in his mind. It had helped him with his frustrations a bit. It had been... 

It had been pretty amazing, if he was honest with himself. 

A smile broke across his face as he felt tiredness from the day sweep over his body. He rolled to the edge of the bed, nearly falling out in his blissful state, before he changed to be ready for bed. If he was quiet, he could hear the sound of a shower running. 

He was barely conscious when Craig returned to the room. He hadn’t been gone long, but it had been long enough for Kyle to get settled and be half asleep. 

He rolled his eyes as he heard Craig swear low as he attempted to wrangle the sleeping bag out from under the desk where he’d stashed it. He thought about letting the man suffer after ditching him, but… 

“You getting in this bed, or what?” 

“Uh, is that okay?” 

Kyle glanced over his shoulder, seeing Craig’s shadow near the end of the bed. He reached out and pulled back the covers to make room. 

He waited for the man to get settled on the other half of the bed before he asked: “Nice shower?” 

He got a kick in his back for his teasing. 

Sleep came easy. Easier than it had any of the other nights. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hooboy things have gone a bit crazy since my last update. 
> 
> But here it is! The kiss!! I hope you enjoyed it, and that it was worth the wait. I'm actually really proud of it so even if you didn't like it that's okay, I liked it enough for us all ;) 
> 
> I hope you're all well and safe!!


	7. Chapter 7

Kyle woke up when a warmth began to leave. He groaned low into the pillow below him, moving with it in hopes that he'd be able to keep resting for longer, gripping tight to the band of heat that was around his torso. There was a low cursing, words that didn't quite register in his head at first, but were close enough that they were hard to ignore. The heat stopped moving for a moment, but it was tense. Not soft like before. It forced his brain even further towards the land of the living. 

When his eyes fluttered open and he grimaced up towards the sky, he found sight of another face out the corner of his eyes. 

He realised the band of heat he was holding was Craig's arm, wrapped around his waist, and the heat he was moving towards was Craig's body as the man tried to escape the bed. He felt a shot of embarrassment that was quickly diminished by the look on Craig's face. It was hard to feel any kind of embarrassment when Craig looked so hilariously awkward about the whole thing. 

He grinned up at the red face. "Mornin', honey." 

"Fuck you," Craig spat back, glaring down at him. "I was trying to leave without waking you." 

"Well, you woke me." 

"Sorry." 

Kyle let go of the arm to give Craig some freedom. The man withdrew his arm, but stopped trying to escape quite so quickly. Instead they settled like that, Craig propped up on his arm looking down, with Kyle lying on his back next to him. In his only-just-awake state, he still appreciated the warmth of another body next to him. 

"We can go get food, and then head off, if that's alright?" 

He nodded. "That's fine. Whenever you wanna go, dude." 

Craig nodded, eyes flickering down and moving across Kyle's face. He would be nervous about it if he wasn't doing the exact same thing. 

"I think I wanna shower first though, if that's alright?" 

"Yeah, go ahead. I'll - I showered yesterday." 

Kyle grinned up again as colour began to rise in the other man's cheeks once again. 

When he finished his shower he found Craig had made his bed and tidied up what little mess they made. He grabbed his phone before they headed towards the stairs, moving in a comfortable silence together. He was forced to stop as an arm came out in front of him, and he turned to see what the hell Craig was playing at. 

Craig held him at the top of the stairs, leaning forwards as he tried to eavesdrop on the conversation below. Kyle shuffled a bit closer, as if that would help him hear. The Tuckers may be a briefly spoken family, but when they spoke it was loud. 

“…Trish, I told you nothing was weird.” 

“It was totally weird,” she argued. “It took till the last day to see them being couple-y at all. I thought college was meant to turn you into a slut, not a prude.” 

“Maybe he’s just shy? Or, maybe Craig’s grown up a bit.” 

The voice of Thomas cut through the conversation with: “It’s probably because he’s Jewish.” 

Craig groaned and slapped a palm against his face. 

Laura scolded her husband. “You can’t say that!” 

“Ey, it’s probably true!” 

“Probably, but you can’t say it. Just think it.” 

“Oh for – c’mon,” Craig muttered as he decided he’d heard enough and started stomping down the stairs to make their presence known. “What’s for breakfast?” 

Kyle followed behind trying, and failing, not to look sheepish as he did so. Craig walked with his head high towards the kitchen and Kyle did his best to keep up. 

“What time are you leaving, then?” Laura asked as she followed them. “Do you want me to make you some sandwiches to take with you? It’s a long drive!” 

“It’s a few hours, mom. We’ll probably stop half way. I’ll get us something to eat.” 

“Alright honey, if you’re sure. Make sure you eat too, Kyle!” 

The redhead smiled. “I will, I promise. I’ll get Craig to get me something, right, Craig?” 

The Tucker boy shot him a nasty look over his shoulder, but he didn’t say no. Kyle had come to learn that unless Craig said no, he would do it, no matter the nasty looks or complaints. 

He just grinned in response. 

Laura ushered them into the kitchen to sort out breakfast, leaving Tricia and Thomas sprawled out in front of the TV. They settled down at the small breakfast table in there as Laura busied about making them eggs, chattering away and asking Craig a series of questions to see if he had forgotten anything. 

“Your dad wants to know if you want to take any tools with you,” Laura said with a huff. “Apparently you asked for some?” 

“Yeah,” Craig confirmed as he bobbed his head with his mouth full. “I did.” 

He didn’t expand on it, but she didn’t ask, either. Instead she turned to Kyle with a smile. 

“I hope you’ve enjoyed your visit.” 

“It’s been really nice,” Kyle confirmed, and found he was telling the truth. “It’s kind of a shame to head back, a bit.” 

Craig scoffed. Laura ignored him, smiling at Kyle instead, and saying: “I’m glad he brought back someone with a better attitude than he has.” 

Craig rolled his eyes to the sky. 

He did disappear to go speak to his dad after they ate, promising he wouldn’t be long. Kyle chose to stay in the kitchen and do the washing up, Laura by his side to dry the dishes. He supposed he should’ve expected what came next, really. They were leaving, and so goodbyes and well wishes would always come. 

From what he’d gathered over the last week, he was something of a step in the right direction, in the eyes of those who knew Craig. It was probably nice for Laura. 

The guilt still stung. 

She started as he was drying his hands and she was putting away the last of the plates. He stood opposite her, smile on his face, and then she got sentimental. 

“I appreciate you coming along, I bet it was on short notice too.” 

Kyle laughed at that. “You have no idea.” 

“Honestly. I just…” she sighed, scowling just past Kyle’s ear, not quite looking at him. “I know I’ve been a bit pushy with it all. Ever since he and Thomas broke up…shit, this probably isn’t something I should be talking to you about, huh?” 

He didn’t quite know how to respond. It felt like it wasn’t his information to receive. He wasn’t really Craig’s boyfriend. But also…he wanted to do for Laura whatever he could. “I don’t mind. I’m not insecure about it.” 

“Well, he’s never been great at making friends,” she admitted. “When he went to college, I was worried he was going to become a hermit. And there was never anyone else he was interested in after Thomas. I don’t think it was easy that Tricia made sure the boy never quite disappeared from his life. Made it hard to…move on.” 

He thought about bumping into the pair at the mall. Thought about stopping off at Thomas’s house to pick up skates. “They seemed on good terms. Craig and Thomas, I mean.” 

“They are, They were very close. But I guess it’s a mother’s job to be worried,” the crease in her brow smoothed out as she focused again on Kyle. “Though I guess now it’s _your_ job to be worried about him, instead!” 

The laugh he gave sounded strained to his ears. “He’ll have me grey early.” 

“I’m glad he has you. Thanks, for coming up. I feel a lot better sending him away again.” 

He shuffled his weight from foot to foot, straining to keep the smile on his face as he swallowed a lump in his throat. “That means a lot.” 

“Alright, I’ve got everything I need,” called a familiar voice from the living room. They turned to see Craig enter the room with his own duffle bag, and Kyle’s backpack. “Are you…ready?” 

The way his eyes flickered between Kyle and his mom was kind of entertaining to watch. 

“I’m ready,” Kyle confirmed. 

He gave Laura a tight hug at the door, turning to Thomas to see the man smiling at him and offering a handshake and pat on the shoulder. It was the warmest he’d seen him all holiday. 

“Thanks for coming with our boy,” he said, that gruff voice still grumpy. “I hope you figure out your major soon.” 

He heard Craig grumble next to him, but he took it in his stride and said: “I’ll make sure next time I see you I can tell you what it is.” 

That seemed to please the man. 

Tricia gave him a brief hug, stepping back looking a little sheepish. He wondered if it had to do with the conversation they overheard earlier. 

Craig faced her, frown on his face as she scowled at his chest. 

“See ya’,” she muttered. 

“I’m sorry about pushing you down the stairs that one time.” 

Kyle watched as Tricia’s eyes narrowed, face scrunching up in confusion as she processed the words. She made a few attempts to speak, though no real words formed. She just stammered, staring up at her big brother. 

“Good talk,” Craig patted her on the shoulder. 

“Wait!” she grasped his hand, pink across her cheeks as she said, firm voice quavering. “Where’s my goodbye hug?” 

Kyle looked away as Craig engulfed her, feeling like he probably shouldn’t watch it happen. He did feel a sense of victory, though. Like he had some kind of hand in it. 

They piled into the car and he felt a lot more comfortable about the whole situation than when he had arrived. He waved out the window at the family as they drove away. He was almost sad to see them go. 

As they drove past the house next door, Craig gave an all too loud honk of the horn. There was a smirk on his face as he peered out the window to look up, and Kyle followed his gaze to the top floor. 

A face appeared, the window opened, and Clyde had a wide-shit eating grin on his face as he leant out the window with an air horn and squeezed out an all too loud honk back at them. 

Craig was laughing as he sped up, and Kyle spun round to the backseat window seeing Laura shouting at them, raising her fist, before pointing up at Clyde’s window just as the boy escaped back inside. 

“I feel like that’s not the first time you’ve done that,” Kyle muttered as he turned a smile to Craig. 

Craig, who looked all too smug with himself. 

He watched the streets fly past, heading towards the edge of town with Craig’s music filling the silence. The sign passed them again, and as it did he heard a sigh from the man next to him, turning to see Craig relaxing back into his chair fully. 

“Fuck me, I can’t believe we did it.” 

Kyle laughed openly at that. “But we did. Even your sister!” 

“Even my sister,” Craig agreed. 

“I didn’t realise you were so worried about it,” he admitted. “You always seem pretty sure of yourself.” 

Craig shrugged, not taking his eyes off the road. “I wasn’t, at first. Not until I noticed Trish was beginning to get suspicious. Maybe your worrying just rubbed off on me.” 

Kyle snorted. “Yeah right. Maybe you’re just not as tough as you think.” 

He received a lopsided smirk for that. “Yeah, sure. Seriously though, I just…” a long sigh. Kyle watched as the man ran a hand through his dark, smooth locks. “Thanks, for coming with me.” 

“For forcing you to bring me, you mean?” 

“Yeah, that,” Craig agreed with a low chuckle. “It worked out better than I thought. You weren’t nearly as annoying.” 

“Wow, thanks.” 

“I owe you big time, dude. I mean it.” 

Kyle hummed, turning away to look at the road as he tried to find words to explain his thoughts. “You can start with lunch.” 

Craig really did have a nice laugh. 

Lunch was a half way pit stop, where they talked about their college friends and how they were going to manage the questions that would probably come from whatever Cartman had said to everyone about their holiday tryst. Craig told him that Token had already attempted to put that fire out, though they all knew what the brunette could be like. 

Most of the car journey was spent listening to music far too loud or talking too much about absolutely nothing. 

His heart sank a little bit as familiar buildings came into view. 

“Where do you want dropping off?” 

“Outside yours is fine,” Kyle replied. “I can walk from there.” 

“If you’re sure?” 

He nodded once. 

They got out the car and got their things, and Kyle tried to ignore the desire to ask if they should hang out. If Craig had plans. If he minded keeping him company, now that they were back at college and he was back to being without company until everyone returned. 

Craig shut the boot behind him, turning to face Kyle. “You sure you don’t want a lift to your flat?” 

“It’s really not that far,” Kyle assured. “But thanks anyway. I’ve…had a really good week.” 

“I’m glad. It’s been better than I thought it would be.” 

His smile widened at that. 

Craig rubbed the back of his neck, not quite meeting Kyle’s gaze, as he asked his next question. “Look, I know Token and Tweek aren’t back for a bit longer, I dunno about Stan, but…if you’re free, do you want to do something for New Years?” 

“Sure,” Kyle shrugged. “Sounds nice. Stan’s not back till after.” 

“Cool. I’ll text you later once I’m unpacked, I guess.” 

He took a leisurely pace for his walk back, in no real rush to face the emptiness of his dorm again. 

There was only so long he could make it last, and all too soon he was back there, silence surrounding him as he stood in the doorway. He dropped his bag by his desk before falling face first onto his bed, firing a text message to Stan to let him know that he’d returned home safely, before burying his face into his sheets. 

At least it was nice to have the comfort of his own bed. The comfort of not having to act out some farce to people he didn’t know. He could just go back to being normal again. 

He groaned as his phone started to vibrate on the sheets next to him. 

“Hello?” 

_“So, how was it?”_

Kyle groaned as he rolled over onto his back. “I’ve not even been in five minutes and you’re hounding me.” 

_“Well, duh. C’mon, dude. Spill.”_

“It really wasn’t that interesting,” Kyle assured. “I went, and I pretended to be his boyfriend, and we bonded and became friends. And now I’m home.” 

_“Ugh, you’re no fun._ _I’ve_ _been dying all week to ask you for more details, and that’s the best you’ve got? No dirty secrets? Or are you too good friends for that, now?”_

Kyle smirked. “You getting jealous?” 

_“I’m going crazy!”_

He glanced towards his desk, where he had abandoned his backpack, still full. “Okay, but you can’t tell anyone.” 

_“I won’t, I promise. My lips are sealed.”_

“You remember when we were in high school we learnt about the genetics lab in that small town that had the ass-scientist…?” 

He chatted with Stan for quite a while. Between filling him in on what South Park was like, and what the Tuckers were like, and receiving a word for word retelling of Stan and his dad’s latest disagreement, they were on the phone for over an hour. Now that he was actually having a conversation with is best friend, he was hit with just how much he missed him. 

How much he missed sitting with Stan and talking shit face to face. 

“I’m sorry I didn’t come home for Christmas.” 

_“You don’t need to apologise, dude._ _I don’t blame you.”_

Stan knew about his ongoing feud with his mother and father. He had sat down with Kyle before going home, to reassure him that he was doing the right thing. 

To tell him that he needed to look after himself. 

“I was thinking,” Kyle mused, continuing to stare at the bag. “That maybe it’s time I should pick a major.” 

The line was silent for a few moments. _“What were you thinking of?”_

He felt the heat rising in his cheeks as he confessed: “Marine biology.” 

A breath of relief sounded down the phone. _“Yeah, I think that’s a good choice.”_

“Yeah?” 

_“Definitely,”_ Stan confirmed, filling him with warmth. _“I know how much you want that, dude. Even if you keep trying to convince yourself it’s not.”_

“I figured it was time to own up to it,” Kyle agreed. “I just have to break it to my parents, now.” 

_“They’ll get over it. They always do.”_

“You’re right. How have they…?” 

Stan made an uncertain noise. _“They haven’t really talked to me about you. Your mom asked if you were healthy, and then that was it, honestly. Ike asked after you a lot. I think he missed you.”_

“I missed him,” Kyle admitted. 

_“Have you spoken to him?”_

“We’ve texted. How’s Shelly been?” 

_“Still Shelly.”_

They continued to talk until Stan’s mom began to speak up, calling for his attention. They said their goodbyes, before Kyle browsed through his recent texts in hopes of finding something to take _his_ attention. 

He decided it was too soon to bother Craig again. He should probably let the man decompress before he started putting strain on their newly formed friendship. 

Instead he texted his brother, informing him that he was back at his flat, meaning he had full access to all his gaming equipment again. Ike responded almost immediately requesting they played something online together. 

He didn’t have long to wait before his friends would start returning from winter break. He was sure he could find a way to pass the time, and finish up all his work. 

When he would wake up the next morning, it would be to a text message from Craig. 

_Thanks for coming with me._

\--

Three days later found Kyle staring down at his phone, text message on the screen, trying to formulate a response. They had agreed to do something for New Year’s, but since then Kyle had spent three days vegetating in boxers and a t-shirt under layers of blankets and snacks, binging TV and playing games with his brother and Stan. 

_You_ _wanna_ _go out tonight?_

The idea of going out had been so appealing three days ago when he needed stimulation. Now that he was in a hermit state, it sounded like too much effort. 

Which was probably a sign that he should say yes. 

He said yes. 

He took the chance to make an effort. Attempting to tame some sense into his hair after days of letting it air-dry was a struggle, but he managed it. He went through several outfits before he settled on one, fixing the hood of the black hooded jumper that was sat underneath his nicest orange jacket. The plan was a movie and then a drink afterwards. He hoped he looked appropriate. 

When he arrived at the theatre he saw Craig already there scrolling on his phone, leather jacket and big boots in place. Now that he knew the other man owned a motorbike, it began to make a bit more sense. 

“Hey.” 

Craig looked up at his greeting, pocketing his phone and giving a lopsided smile. “Hey. You gone crazy with boredom yet?” 

Kyle groaned at the question. “Don’t get me started. I had to peel myself off my bedsheets.” 

“I know that feeling. Time to go continue to lounge about, but on comfy cinema chairs instead of a bed.” 

Hanging out with Craig was…unusual. 

It had become normal, sure, but that was in South Park. A place that was weird and foreign to him, where Craig was the thing that was familiar. But this was different. Going to the cinema that he went to with his college friends, but instead of them it was Craig. Craig, who his interactions had been mostly negative with before Christmas. Craig, who he had seen in the cinema once during a midnight release for a Star Wars movie, where they had crossed paths only for Craig to flip them off. 

Instead he was stood at the kiosk next to Craig, who was ordering two tickets for a movie they’d picked together. 

It was weird. It was definitely weird. 

All this relationship business left him feeling less like they were hanging out and more like he was on a date. 

“Want a drink or anything?” 

Kyle shook his head. “Nah, I’m good.” 

“Let’s go then.” 

_Weird_ , but not bad. 

They poked and prodded at the trailers, highlighting the extremely good ones and the extremely bad ones. Kyle gushed as it finished, words tumbling out his mouth before he could try curb them, but Craig didn’t seem to mind how much he talked. Instead he met him half way, continuing to chat, agreeing on some points and arguing on others. 

They were still talking as they entered a bar, Kyle insisting that he got the drinks while Craig found them somewhere to sit. Despite being close to campus and usually quiet, it seemed they weren’t the only students who were home early or who didn’t leave and decided to spend their New Year’s out. It was quiet enough that they could find somewhere to sit where they weren’t disturbed, at least. 

They kept talking. It was nice. Weird, but nice. 

“You left a good impression on my parents,” Craig admitted as a lull in the conversation happened. “They’ve been asking after you.” 

His heart warmed at that. “I’m glad. They were pretty nice. Even if your dad was-!” 

“-A bit of a redneck?” 

He glared through his smile. “I was going to say brash, but sure, that too.” 

Craig shrugged. “Brash works. I get told I’m like him.” 

“I think you’re all kind of similar, honestly. I can see your mom and your dad in you.” 

“Have you...spoken to your parents, since you got back?” 

Kyle grimaced at the question, ducking down to his half-finished drink. “No, I haven’t. I’ve spoken to Ike, my brother. I’ve been playing games with him. I’ve…been avoiding ringing my parents.” 

Craig nodded, but didn’t probe any further. Kyle watched as the man held his drink with both hands, finger tips meeting and lacing, thumbs patting against the cold glass. His dark eyes were looking down, lips pursed. Kyle had a feeling he wanted to keep asking, but didn’t know what he was asking. 

“Stan’s kept me up to date with them, at least. I’ll…I’ll ring them before term starts. I’ve got to tell them about my major.” 

“You decided, then?” 

Kyle nodded. “Marine biology.” 

Craig’s smile widened. “A good choice.” 

“I hope so.” 

The dark eyes cast down once again. Kyle leant forward, resting his cheek on the palm of his fist. “You never told me exactly why you decided to lie to your parents about having a fake boyfriend.” 

He received a glare. 

“What? We’re friends, that means I can ask now.” 

“Just cause you can ask doesn’t mean I’m going to answer.” 

“You owe me one, remember?” 

“And you’re going to waste a favour on some feelings chat?” 

Kyle nodded, not missing a beat. 

Craig groaned, his cheeks darkening with embarrassment. “Ugh, fine. I…when I went to college, mom started getting really…nosy. Like, she was always asking about what friends I was making, what I was doing for fun, if I met any nice boys. I got sick of it, and I told her that I was dating someone.” 

Kyle thought back to the conversation he’d had with Laura before they left. Where she had admitted how worried about him she’d been. “Did it make her back off?” 

“Yeah, it did. But then after a while she started wanting to meet him. So…you happened.” 

“I guess after a year it would be a bit weird to come out and admit it was a lie.” 

“She backed off and went to normal at first. Didn’t question me. We’re not a talkative family. She never needed to know who it was, just that he existed.” 

“She…told me she worried you would become a hermit.” 

Craig looked dead at him, face blank as he spoke. It was a little unsettling. 

“Apparently she felt like Tricia keeping Thomas around meant you couldn’t quite…move on, I guess? And that she thought if given the chance, you’d become a hermit,” 

He pulled a face. “I can’t believe she outed me like that.” 

Kyle shrugged. “It was insightful.” 

“She’s full of shit.” 

“Did you struggle to move on?” 

Craig hesitated. 

It was all the answer he needed. He wondered if he was still hung up on the blonde, but couldn’t quite bring himself to ask. 

“At first,” the answer came. “But…not anymore.” 

“I’m glad.” 

He couldn’t quite put his finger on why he was so glad. 

They finished their drinks to a more casual conversation, and as the place began to get a little too rowdy they decided to call it a night and left. It was dark outside, though the lights of the buildings around them kept the streets well lit. 

He turned to Craig as they stood outside the bar, the sounds from inside muffled behind them. Sounds of people celebrating the New Year. 

Craig wasn’t looking at him at first. He was instead looking up, the street lamps reflecting in his eyes. It wasn’t the first time that Kyle found himself admiring how attractive the other man was. It was something he had even admitted to him directly. He couldn’t pinpoint it exactly – the confidence he held himself with, the shape of his jaw, the stormy eyes – but whatever it was about Craig Tucker, it was hard to deny. 

Then their eyes met, and Craig was looking down at him, totally unguarded. Eyes widening a fraction, one brow cocking up with a silent question. It reminded him of that look he’d given him in the Genetics Laboratory, questioning his motives, before Kyle had taken his face and kissed him. 

It was tempting. It wouldn’t take much. Just lean up, tilt his head, and they’d meet. 

But…he didn’t. He turned his gaze upwards where Craig had been looking, licking his dry lips and trying to find something interesting to focus on. 

“Do you wanna hang out at mine?” Craig asked. “I’ve just got games, but if I don’t get some kind of company I think I’m going to forget what other people look like.” 

Kyle snorted through his laughter. “Yeah, that sounds pretty good, actually.” 

The walk back was easy, chatter that had been between them for most of the evening making way for a comfortable silence. They passed Craig's car on the way to his student house, and Kyle followed the taller man to a house that was well decorated yet devoid of people. A house that he recognised as one where Token lived, but that he had entered from the front, opposite where the car park was, on the rare occasion he had visited in the past for parties hosted by the man. 

Craig mumbled an apology for the mess as they entered his room, though it wasn’t as messy as some other student rooms Kyle had been in. Craig had a surprising amount of stuff, scattered about in some kind of organisation. 

The TV was set up to face the bed, PlayStation hooked up with three controllers next to it. 

Kyle settled on the bed as Craig got them drinks from the mini-fridge in the corner of his room, using a bottle opener that sat on the top. The redhead took in the room fully, from the text books that were stacked on the desk to the red lamp on his bedside. 

“Here.” 

Kyle took the drink with a thank you. 

“Wanna pick a game?” 

Once they were lost in the screen, he didn’t pay much more attention to what was and wasn’t weird. He was too busy focusing, laughing or shouting, sat close enough to the other that they could shove and bump elbows as they played. 

Midnight passed them by. 

A lot longer probably would’ve passed them by if it wasn’t broken up by his phone vibrating in his pocket. He withdrew it to see Stan’s ID lighting up the screen. Craig paused the game with a sour look on his face as Kyle answered the phone. 

Before he could get a word out, a drunk slurring came through the other end. 

_“Happy New Year!”_

He grimaced at the volume. “Uh, happy New Year to you too. Are you – is Ike with you?” 

_“Hi!”_ chirped his brother’s voice. _"Kyle! Kyle, it’s – it’s okay, we forgive you for being a traitor.”_

_“Yeah, Kyle, we forgive you,”_ agreed Stan. 

He laughed at the sound of them both. “Are you guys drunk?” 

_“Ike’s_ _more drunk_ _than me.”_

_“Hey! I am not!”_

There was a faint voice in the background that he could barely make out, but sounded dry in a way that only Shelly Marsh could sound. _“You’re both drunk.”_

_“Yeah but he’s more drunk.”_

Kyle laughed again, leaning back against the pillow wall they had erected behind them, his knee knocking into Craig’s. “Are you having fun, at least?” 

_“We are!”_ Ike filled. _“Mom – mom and dad wanted me to tell you that they hoped you were enjoying your winter break.”_

An all too familiar pang of guilt. “I am.” 

_“I can’t believe you’re spending New Years on your own,”_ Stan whined. _“_ _You’re not even out anywhere. I bet you’re playing video games, all by yourself, like some kind of loser.”_

“I am not!” 

_“I can’t hear anyone in the background!”_ Stan argued. _“You’re not out! You can’t lie to me twice in one holiday, Kyle!”_

“I am out, just not, like, out-out.” 

_“Oh yeah? Where are you?”_

Kyle looked up at Craig, who’s eyes were already on him, an amused smile on his face. At his hesitation, a wicked smirk crossed the other boy’s face. He began to lean closer, the sides of their bodies lining up, from knee to shoulder, and Kyle didn’t move to stop him as he pulled the phone back enough that he could speak to the receiver. 

“Happy New Years, Marsh.” 

The explosion on the other end had Craig grinning. 

_“Oh my god, I thought you were back at the dorms_ _?!_ _”_

“I am!” Kyle defended. “But we came back together. No point in spending the whole time on our own.” 

_“Ugh, I can’t believe this!”_

“Don’t be so dramatic.” 

Stan straight up whined down the phone. 

“You said you were _fine_ with us being friends.” 

_“Yeah, but it’s not fair that he gets to spend New_ _Years_ _with you and I’m stuck here!”_

There was a giggling from his little brother as Shelly’s voice got louder as she got closer and said: _“For fuck’s sake – I‘m not going to be forced to listen to you whine about how you miss your boyfriend! Hang up!”_

_“No! Please, I’m sorry, I’ll stop whining.”_

_“No you won’t – you’re such a fucking downer!”_

The voices grew quieter as the siblings began to wrestle. Kyle listened, glaring at Craig who was doing a very bad job at hiding his laughter, even if he was being quiet about it. 

_“I – uh – I should probably try to stop them fighting,”_ slurred his brother, who apparently now had the phone. 

“Yeah, probably,” Kyle agreed. “Thanks for calling, though.” 

_“It’s nice to hear you’re not dead!”_

“You too. Send my love to mom and dad, alright?” 

_“Alright, I will. Love you.”_

“Love you too, Ike.” 

He hung up at the sound of Ike trying to talk reason into the Marsh siblings. 

He took the chance to dig his elbow into Craig’s side. “Thanks, asshole.” 

“He’s so fucking easy to wind up.” 

“Especially when he’s drunk.” 

“Is he always that _whiny_?” 

“Not always, just…” 

“Always?” 

“Shut up,” Kyle answered. He looked back down at the clock, seeing the numbers 00:46 staring back at him. “I should probably head off soon, I guess.” 

“You can crash, if you want? I know space is a bit more…limited here, but…” 

“I’d like to.” 

They continued to play games until Craig was yawning and Kyle couldn’t quite keep his eyes open. Craig let him borrow a spare t-shirt, shuffling into bed first while Kyle quickly stripped off and changed. 

He turned back to see Craig facing the wall, enough space left for him to fit in. Their backs were pressed together as they settled down, and he wondered if single beds had always been so small. 

When sleep finally claimed him it was as he turned around in the bed, draping one arm across the body in front of him. Craig shuffled a little bit closer. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My favourite thing about fake-dating fics is how a physically affectionate relationship can develop while two people are ignorant to the emotionally affection that they're feeling. 
> 
> That's it that's my favourite thing I'm happy with this.


	8. Chapter 8

It was the first time that Kyle was at the airport to greet Stan getting home, rather than arriving with him. He stood at the arrivals lounge, waiting amongst the others to greet their loved ones returning, seeing his flight listed as _landed_. 

The automatic doors started to open and the others who had been on the flight entered the arrivals lounge. He kept an eye out for his best friend – dark hair, dumb varsity jacket, old red converse shoes – and wasn’t disappointed when he saw him. 

Stan all but tackled him. 

“Welcome back!” Kyle laughed out as he wrapped his arms around his friend. “That bad, huh?” 

“Awful,” Stan confirmed, finally pulling back and letting Kyle free from the bear-like grip. “Thanks for meeting me.” 

“Anytime, dude. It’s good to have you back.” 

“Missed you too. Where’s Betsy? Can I drive her home?” 

Kyle rolled his eyes and fished the keys to Stan’s old pickup truck from his pocket, receiving an all too loud and long ‘yes!’ from his bestie. 

The journey back was easy, neither of them able to stop talking for the whole thing. Stan nearly missed the turning from being distracted in their conversation. He knew he missed Stan, and he knew he’d missed him a lot, but he could never fully express how much. 

They continued to sit and hangout once they got home, Kyle talking about how he’d spoken to his Professors already about committing his major. They didn't really stop until the door to the communal area opened, welcoming in one of the others who lived in their flat. 

That night they fell asleep together while binge watching Netflix, and Kyle’s world felt normal again. 

If he thought that was all that would be said about his winter break, he was very wrong. 

Two days later found them out at their usual campus hangout; a bar that had ping-pong tables and alcohol to drink. Many of their friends had returned, but unfortunately one of their friends was Cartman, who wasted very little time in attempting to raise Kyle’s hackles. 

“So, _Kyle_ , how was your Christmas?” Cartman drawled with a faux innocence to his voice. They sat along the bar, their friend Kenny behind slacking off by talking to them as usual. Kyle looked across with a glare. 

“My holiday was fine, thanks. How was yours?” 

“It was wonderful! Being able to go home, not being trapped on campus like some people but – oops! Sorry, I forgot. You managed to find someone to take you in, didn’t you?” 

“Would you just come out with it?” Kyle snapped, hand tightening on the bottle in his hands. “What do you _want_ , fatass?” 

“I’m just making polite conversation, Kyle. Is there anything wrong in taking an interest in my friend’s lives?” 

“It is when it’s mine,” he muttered. 

He felt Stan’s hand on his shoulder, attempting to calm him down. “Lay off, Cartman. It’s not a big deal.” 

“What’s not a big deal?” 

Kyle shot a nasty look across the bar to Kenny, who had a lazy smile on his face. The bastard was encouraging him. 

Kenny’s smile just widened in response. 

Cartman was all too happy to answer: “Well, Kenny, it seems that our good friend Kyle here, after telling us all that he was spending the holidays at the dorms, actually went to stay with none other than Craig Tucker.” 

Kenny’s eyebrows shot up. His blue eyes landed on Kyle. He clearly hadn’t expected that. 

It just encouraged the brunette more. “I spoke to Stan about it, and he, like he said just now, insisted it wasn’t a big deal. And I bought it. At first.” 

Kyle squeezed his eyes shut as he attempted to calm his rising temper. 

“But then I decided to do some digging.” 

“Oh for-!” Kyle threw his hands in the air. “I don’t see why you’re making this a thing!” 

“Because, _Kyle_ , you went and spent an entire week with Craig Tucker, and I don’t care what Stan says, I do not believe for a second you’re friends with him.” 

He huffed out. “What’s your grand theory then as to why I’d spend a full week with someone I’m not friends with?” 

A wicked smile lit up on Cartman’s face. He saw Stan pinch the bridge of his nose, whispering a low ‘oh no’ as he leant back and allowed the pair to face off fully. Even Kenny had taken a step back. 

“I’m so glad you asked!” Cartman chirped before he withdrew his phone, bringing up a screenshot and raising it for the three to see. “Tell me, Kyle, does this look familiar?” 

He found himself staring at an all too familiar post on the student noticeboards. He clenched his jaw as embarrassment joined his anger, panic beginning to set in as he tried to formulate some kind of escape route for the situation he’d landed himself in. 

_Need a fake-boyfriend for family Christmas. Free ride, free meals, free gifts._

He looked up from the phone to Cartman’s face, seeing that wicked smile still there. He heard Kenny whistle low as he read it, and realised that he’d probably been silent too long to deny it. He was going to have to tell the truth. 

“Tell me, did you know who you were responding to when you agreed, or was it just a nice surprise?” 

He was saved answering Cartman’s questions when Kenny chose to get involved instead. He wasn’t sure if that was really all that much better. 

“Dude, you went to pretend to be Craig’s boyfriend for a whole week?” 

“Yes,” Kyle admitted. “I did. It wasn’t that bad. His family’s pretty cool, and, I dunno, I think we became friends? He’s not bad company. Better than sitting on my own doing nothing in the dorms.” 

“Did you bang?” 

“Kenny!” 

“What? It’s an honest question.” 

“No, we did not!” Kyle defended. “You’re so fucking weird.” 

“Damn. Sorry, dude.” 

“Why are you-?!” Kyle felt heat rising in his cheeks. “It doesn’t matter. Does that answer your question, Cartman? Yes, I went to Craig’s for winter break, and it was enjoyable. Or were you hoping for more drama?” 

“I just wanted to know I was right.” 

“Alright, Cartman, stop being a dick,” Stan said as he finally decided to intervene. “You were right, let’s just go back to not arguing, yeah?” 

But fate wouldn’t let Kyle get off that easy. Cartman’s eyes caught movement as the door opened and new people arrived, and his whole face lit up like he’d been handed a million bucks. He turned immediately to the door and shouted out for the people who had just walked in. 

“Token!” he attempted to wave the man over. “Hey, Token! C’mere!” 

Kyle dared to look over. He felt his stomach sink as his fears were confirmed. There was Token, looking as well dressed as ever. Next to him was a shorter male, blonde hair like a static shock with wide eyes, sandwiched between his taller friends. Finally was the very topic of their conversation. 

Their eyes met. Kyle gave a nod and raised his bottle. Craig nodded back. 

A brief exchange took place between Token and Craig, before they split. Craig and Tweek went one way, and Token headed over to where Cartman was beckoning him. 

Apparently that wasn’t what he wanted. 

Ey, where’s that asshole going?” 

Token rolled his eyes at the question. “To find us somewhere to sit. What’s up?” 

“Did you know he took a fake date home for Christmas?!” 

Ever calm and composed, Token raised a single brow. “Yes. I suggested it.” 

“Did you know he took Kyle?” 

Token turned to the redhead, both brows raised. “Thanks for helping him out, man. I hope it wasn’t too much stress?” 

“No, it was fine,” Kyle assured. “It was fun.” 

“Good. I’m glad.” Token turned back to Cartman. “Anything else?” 

Cartman straight up pouted in response. 

Token rolled his eyes. “I hope you had a good Christmas too, Cartman. Did you get my Christmas card?” 

“Yes, I got your Christmas card,” he spat out like a petulant child. “I put it on the mantel piece, but I wish I’d burnt it.” 

“I’m glad you didn’t.” 

“Whatever.” 

Token turned to Kenny. “I’ll order while I’m up here, if that’s cool?” 

“Always cool for my coolest customer!” 

The rest of their night was a lot more like the ones he’d become accustomed to. They laughed, he and Cartman bickered, and they drank a little more than they should. It ended with him and Stan holding Cartman to try keep him steady as they headed back to their dorm. He didn’t speak to Craig all night, despite the fact they were in the same place. 

It was a pattern that continued for a little while, and what went from close enough to hold hands, to hanging out while waiting for everyone else to return, became casual nods from across the room. 

\--

“I’m worried about you.” 

As far as he was concerned, it came totally left field. He blinked owlishly at his best friend as he absorbed the words and pulled his brain out of the text book he’d been studying. They were sat in the library, the two stations opposite each other, and Stan’s focus was totally on him. 

“Are you trying to avoid doing your work again?” 

“No!” it sounded a little bit like a lie. “I’m being serious. I’m worried about you.” 

“Alright,” he sat up properly, fully pulling his attention away from the pages. “Why are you worried about me?” 

“Because…” Stan pulled a face. It was a face Kyle knew; he was trying to formulate his emotions into words. “Because you and Craig haven’t hung out once since we all got back.” 

Kyle faltered at that. “Err, well, we don’t exactly…run in the same circles.” 

“No, I know that, you haven’t before, but you’ve bonded!” 

“We’ve _bonded_.” 

“Yes!” 

Kyle let out a sigh. “That’s what you’re worried about?” 

“Yes! It’s perfectly reasonable, Kyle.” 

“Sure,” he drawled. “I thought you didn’t want me to force you to hang out with him?” 

“I don’t, but I never said I didn’t want you to hang out with him. You’re not doing it because of me, are you? Like, you’re not avoiding-!” 

“I’m not avoiding anything. Like I said, we just don’t run in the same circles. I see him in class sometimes.” 

“Do you speak to him?” 

Caught out. 

“Caught out.” 

Kyle tried to look stern. “Shall I invite him round to the flat? Hang out with him somewhere that you can visibly see, just to confirm that we’re still friends?” 

Stan pulled a face. 

“You’re so twisty.” 

“I’m not twisty!” 

“Then make your mind up. Do you want me to hang out with him or not?” 

“I want you to _want_ to hang out with him!” Stan replied. “It’s not healthy to just…be that close to someone and then stop speaking to them all together.” 

“It’s not like we haven’t spoken,” Kyle said, though his brain couldn't think of any conversation they’d had recently. “There’s just not been any need to hang out. It’s really not the drama you’re making it out to be.” 

“He helped you pick your major!” 

“And I’m very thankful for that.” 

“Not even I could do that!” 

Kyle sighed in annoyance. “I’ll text him. Will that make you feel better?” 

“Yes. It will.” 

“I’ll tell him I need someone to rescue me from my nagging wife.” 

Stan glared. Kyle smirked back. 

They returned to studying, though studying with Stan was always a struggle. The boy was lucky they knew each other so well, and Kyle had learnt to deal with his inability to keep focus on work for too long, always looking for an excuse to be distracted. 

Eventually, the distraction arrived. 

“Hey!” Stan greeted with a bit too much enthusiasm. Kyle rolled his eyes at it. “What’re you guys doing here?” 

Kyle turned to see Wendy and Token standing at the end of their table. They exchanged greetings, Wendy giving him a brief question about his winter break as she answered his questions, ever polite. It was the first time he’d seen her since they got back, and it was a nice surprise. 

What wasn’t surprising was that she seemed aware of how he’d spent his break, though she thankfully didn’t ask any awkward questions like Cartman had. 

“Kyle…” 

A cautious use of his name had his conversation with Wendy trailing off. The redhead looked up at Token, who had his brown eyes narrowed at Kyle’s torso. 

“Is that…Craig’s jumper?” 

Their whole group seemed to stop, circling in on him. Specifically on the dark NASA jumper hanging on his shoulders. He felt his heartbeat all the way to his head as the blood rose in his cheeks, and he _hated_ the way he looked when he blushed. 

“Wait, that’s where you got it from?” Stan probed. 

“I – uh – I packed it, accidentally, when we were getting ready to come back.” 

Wendy cocked a brow. “So, have you only just unpacked, or have you been holding onto it for the past week and a bit?” 

He wanted to say something _anything_ , but his brain had stopped working and his lips were zipped shut. 

“Dude.” 

He spun on his best friend, who was looking at the jumper, completely bewildered. Kyle hissed as he spoke. “Don’t.” 

Butjackass who didn’t know when to _shut his fucking mouth_ , and instead informed everyone: “You’ve been wearing that jumper around the dorms. For like, a while.” 

He resisted the urge to bring his palm to his forehead. Somehow. 

“I guess that answers my question.” 

He hated the way Wendy pointed out the obvious sometimes. 

“Do you want me to…not tell him?” 

Kyle turned to Token with wide eyes. “That’s – no, it’s not like, a secret, I just – it’s a really comfy jumper.” 

“Uh-huh,” the man sounded completely unconvinced. 

“Well, whatever,” Wendy finally decided to let him breathe. “We were hoping to do some studying. Do you mind if we join you?” 

“Go ahead.” 

Wendy settled next to him and got out her things as Token was opposite her next to Stan, and the three of them started talking between themselves. They didn’t drag him into it, which he was thankful for as he turned to the pages of his book and raised a hand to his forehead, hiding his beet-red face from view. 

He didn’t even think of it when he put the jumper on that morning. Stan had been right; he had been wearing it around the dorm, because it was comfortable, and Craig hadn’t seemed to notice that it was gone. Not that he was holding onto it or anything. 

Was it weird that he still had it? Should he have said something? Given it back? 

After he had worn it while they were away, it must’ve just got mixed into his pile, and Craig hadn’t attempted to take it off him then, either. 

He managed to calm down after a while of staring at the pages below. He glanced up to see Token tapping away at his phone between writing notes, while the other two continued to chat. Wendy was good at multi-tasking. Stan was probably glad for the excuse to take frequent breaks. 

He was listening to Wendy and Stan chatter away, working on trying to absorb information from his text book, when his phone lit up on the table next to him. He turned it on, seeing the text notification and opening it. 

He went bright red, once again. 

_I’m getting that jumper back eventually_

He snapped his head up with a fiery glare pointed in Token’s direction. The man looked like he was struggling to contain his laughter. 

“You alright, Kyle?” 

“Fine!” he answered Stan. “I’m _fine_.” 

Thankfully, they didn’t probe. He took the chance to respond. 

_In your dreams. It’s mine now._

The reply was pretty instantaneous. 

_Are you with Token still?_

He picked up his phone properly, resigning to the fact he wasn’t going to get any work done. 

_I am, yeah._ _We’re in the library with Wendy and Stan._

_Ugh. Wendy and Stan._

He chewed on his lip as he tried to think of something to say. He didn’t need to. Craig responded instead. 

_Do you mind if I swing by? I need to get something off Token._

_So long as you don't try to steal my jumper, sure._

He didn’t get a response to that. Instead he returned his phone to it’s place on the desk and properly tuned in to Wendy and Stan’s conversation, giving up on his book for now. He saw Token picking up his phone and responding to something. He wondered if that something was a message from Craig. 

When he saw the dark haired man approaching their table he felt a smile spread across his face. His book was forgotten, leaning forward in his chair instead over the top of his book in order to see the man better, who was on the other side of the desk. Craig’s eyes met his first. 

The man smiled and nodded, as he had done every time they’d seen each other since getting back. Kyle mimicked the action. 

Craig’s eyes flickered down to the jumper around Kyle’s frame. The stormy eyes turned away quickly, but Kyle didn’t miss the way his smile widened. 

“Sup?” 

He and Token exchanged their weird little fist bump. 

“Hey,” Token greeted. “I wasn’t sure if you’d come.” 

“Don’t be a dick. Where’s my movie-stick?” 

Token rolled his eyes as he reached into his bag. “Sure, sure. Here you go."

"Thanks.” 

“No problem. When are you going round to Red’s?” 

“In a bit. She can wait.” 

“-Kyle’s basketball game.” 

He snapped his attention to Stan as he heard his name, belatedly realising that Stan and Wendy were still talking across the table. 

“Oh! I can’t believe I forgot!” Wendy replied with a groan. “I can make it though, definitely. What time does it start?” 

And then eyes were on him, and he needed to think of something to say. 

“Uh, on Saturday?” 

“Yeah!” 

“Three o’clock.” 

“I can make it. Yeah, I can,” she wasn’t quite focusing her eyes on him. Too busy trying to organise her busy schedule in her head. 

“Won’t miss it like last time?” 

She glared at Stan. “Shove off.” 

“You have a basketball game this weekend?” 

Everyone’s attention shifted to Craig, who was staring straight at him. He forced a smile and swallowed the lump in his throat in preparation to talk. 

“Yeah, I do. It’s the first game since we got back. It’s just a warmup type thing, nothing big.” 

Craig scrunched up his face. Kyle’s smile widened to a grin. 

“What? Can’t stomach the idea of it?” 

“I’ve been subjected to too many conversations about sports recently.” 

Kyle shrugged. “Wouldn’t know.” 

“Yeah, _sure_ you wouldn’t, you asshole.” 

“I take it you’re not gonna come then?” 

Craig’s gaze shifted away for a moment, shuffling his weight from foot to foot. “Can’t. Think I’m busy on Saturday. Doing anything else.” 

Kyle laughed. 

“I shouldn’t keep Red waiting,” Craig supplied, focusing on Token. “I’ll see you later.” 

“Sure. Yeah. See you later.” 

Kyle watched as Craig turned and wandered out of the library, lingering as he got to the door. He glanced back to the table. Their eyes met. Craig glanced back down at the jumper around Kyle’s torso. Then he was gone. 

Kyle turned back to the conversation that his friends were having, only to find they weren’t having a conversation anymore. Instead he found three sets of eyes on him, with expressions that varied from concerned to baffled. 

“What?” 

Stan pointed at him. “We’re gonna come back to this.” 

He sincerely hoped they didn’t. 

\--

They totally came back to it. 

It took no time at all for Stan to start being ‘subtle’. Dropping hints of hanging out with Token, or that he knew Tweek was at the bar. Actively trying to bait Kyle into a situation where he knew Craig would be. It was weird. It was honestly a little awkward. 

He would sigh out and turn to Stan saying: “You’re making me want to hang out with him less, you know that, right?” 

So Stan swapped tactics and became a lot more straight forward: “Dude stop blueballing your friendship and go hang out with him, I swear to fuck.” 

By Saturday he’d laid off on being so pushy. A few days was all it took for him to give up. The silence was blissful. It probably helped that Stan knew he needed to focus on his first basketball game of the term. 

Saturday morning the team met an hour beforehand, taking their time to get ready and hype each other up before they started. There was a lot of talk. A lot of catching up. A lot of energy buzzing about the room before they headed into the court. 

Kyle grinned as he spotted his best friend sat in his usual spot in the bleachers, with Wendy by his side. Cartman was there too – which was unusual for such a casual game. Cartman liked to watch them all play, and was often in the front rows, but only for the big matches that he considered ‘important’. 

He swallowed a lump in his throat as his eyes scanned next to Cartman. Token was there, who was chatting away with… 

Craig. 

He started to move over to where the dark haired man sat, but his coach quickly snapped him to attention. Casual games didn't mean he could slack off, apparently. 

When he looked back over, stormy eyes were on him. 

He decided instead to take his coach’s advice to heart. As they were standing picking up morale, he found his voice a little louder than normal. Found his feet thrumming with a little more energy than normal. Found his fingers twitching to get hold of the ball. 

By the half way point, they were winning, and his coach was shouting encouragement towards him. 

_‘Keep it up, Broflovski!’_

He put a little too many flourishes on his moves, attempted one too many skill shots that he didn’t always pull off, but when he did, he _nailed them_. He felt heat rising in his cheeks as one of his teammates clapped him on the back. 

_‘Who you showin’ off for, huh?’_

He was having to actively stop himself scanning over to where his friends sat. He knew it would just distract him. If he did it once, he’d start doing it repeatedly. 

Thankfully his resolve didn’t break until the last five minutes. 

Wendy looked like she had brought whatever work it was she needed to do with her, her netbook in her lap, though she wasn’t paying much attention to it. Stan was cheering him on as usual, Cartman sat with snacks set up that he and Token were sharing. Craig’s eyes were on him. 

He turned back to the court, just in time to miss his opponents scoring a goal. 

By the end, his feedback from his coach was that next time he shouldn’t burn himself out so early on. It was a fair judgement to make. 

He turned to head to where his friends were sat to give Stan a quick greeting, and promise he wouldn’t be too long. The response was that they would wait outside in their usual spot. 

And he didn’t take too long to get ready. He was especially speedy, with the fastest shower he could manage, before racing out to the benches outside where he and Stan always met after games. 

Except Stan didn’t wait for him. He thought it was weird to see Stan and Craig standing together just the two of them, though they weren't speaking. It was weirder when blue eyes met his, and Stan gave a pat on the shoulder to the man next to him before turning and disappearing in the opposite direction. 

Kyle sucked in a breath as Craig’s eyes looked towards him, face scrunched with confusion, hands raised and looking thoroughly pissed off. The redhead decided not to leave him on his own, instead jogging over to where he stood. 

“Hey!” Kyle greeted with a smile. “He - uh - he didn’t say where he were going, did he?” 

“No,” Craig spat out. “He didn’t, and everyone else fucked off once it finished. Wendy had some shit to do, and Cartman and Token had some weird debate club to attend, which sounds like a pile of shit to me.” 

He had a feeling he knew what was happening. “He didn’t…say anything, did he?” 

Craig rolled his eyes. “Yeah, ‘tell Kyle sorry for me’.” 

“I’m sorry,” Kyle started. “Stan, he just-!” 

“Him too, huh?” 

“What?” 

Craig clicked his tongue in his mouth, scowling at the sky. “Token’s spent the past few days trying to convince me to invite you to hang out with us. Apparently it’s ‘unhealthy’ to form ‘strong friendships’ and then ‘totally abandon them’.” 

Kyle snorted at that. “Sounds familiar. Do you think they set this up?” 

“Absolutely,” Craig confirmed. “As soon as Token knew I was coming today, he’s been real cagey.” 

He felt a jolt of warmth. “He didn’t drag you with him?” 

“Uh – _shit – no, he didn’t – I was gonna come anyway. He asked if he could come with me.”_

There was something real nice knowing that Craig had come to watch his game, of his own will, without anyone dragging him along. 

“I figured it’d be nice. We’re friends, right? That’s what friends do.” 

“Yeah,” Kyle agreed. “Exactly.” 

The conversation died out there. It was weird. This whole situation was weird. 

“You…played well.” 

He looked up, smile on his face. “Yeah?” 

“I guess?” Craig grimaced. “I honestly don’t know the game too well. You sure looked like you played well.” 

“I like to start on a good foot,” Kyle bluffed. “I’ve been trying to be positive this term. I’ve got a lot of work to catch up on.” 

“Yeah, I suppose you would.” 

Kyle licked his lips as he tried to find something to talk about. “Do you…want to get a drink or something?” 

Stormy eyes were on him, wordless. 

“The bar’s open, and I usually go grab a beer with Stan after a game. Who apparently has ditched me.” 

The whisperings of a smirk. “Am I a good enough replacement?” 

He grinned wide. “You’ll do, for now.” 

“Alright. Lead the way.” 

The bar was somewhere familiar, less uncomfortable than standing out in the open just the two of them. They sat where Kyle and Stan usually sat, right at the bar where Kenny could serve them. The blonde was behind the counter, as usual, toothy smile on his face as he approached them. 

“Hey, boys, what can I get you?” 

They ordered a couple of bottles and Kenny disappeared to get them. It left them waiting for conversations, once again. 

Kyle felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. He opened it up to find a text message from his best friend. 

_Sorry for ditching, but u two gotta stop pretending ur not friends_

He cursed under his breath. Kenny arrived with their bottles. 

“That Stan?” 

“Yeah. You had one from Token?” 

“Yup,” Craig popped the word, raising his bottle to his lips. “I told him to fuck off.” 

Kyle chuckled at that. “Sounds like you.” 

He looked over the bar. Kenny was watching him. The blonde had the nerve to wink at him. 

“Maybe they’re not totally wrong, though.” 

Craig glanced at him out the corner of his eye. 

“I guess we haven’t really hung out at all, since the first week,” Kyle confessed. “I know I told Stan it was because we don’t run in the same circles, but I don’t think that’s totally right. Token and Cartman are sort of friends. We’re not opposite ends of the campus.” 

“I guess I just…” Craig grimaced as he spoke, fingers picking at the label on the bottle in his hands. “I felt…weird? Being your friend? I wasn’t sure if…I was allowed?” 

Kyle felt a flush of shame. “I’m sorry. That’s my fault.” 

“It’s not your fault.” 

“It is. I should’ve reached out or – something. Giving you some kind of sign that you were still my friend, even though we got back and we weren’t under some façade.” 

Craig shrugged it off. “I didn’t exactly stick my neck out or anything. I’m not the most proactive.” 

“How about it was both our faults then?” 

Craig turned to him properly. 

“Neither of us have really been proactive. Which, you kind of both have to be, in a friendship.” 

“I think I can agree to that.” 

He cleared his throat, turning back to his own bottle. “So, now what?” 

“We’re hanging out now, right?” 

Kyle looked up. 

Craig shrugged. “Better late than never. How’s marine biology?” 

“Exactly what I hoped.” 

They sat for a while, and the silence made way for energetic conversation. One beer became three, and it wasn’t long before they were facing each other, rather than the bar. It felt more natural the longer they spent there, sharing stories from the past week. 

Kenny joined them at one point, announcing that he was bored of letting them have time to themselves. It was nice to be able to say that he could spend time with Craig in a sort-of group, rather than just when they didn’t have any other options. 

“I’ve gotta ask,” Kenny started, turning to Craig. “Was he as awkward over the holidays as I’ve been picturing in my mind?” 

“No more awkward than usual.” 

“So, yes, then?” 

Kyle glared across the bar. “Fuck you, dude, I’m not that bad!” 

They continued to talk until Stan walked into the bar, Token behind him. By that point Kyle was feeling a little buzzed, chattering away like no tomorrow as Stan approached them. 

“Does this mean you don’t want to kill me?” 

He landed a fist into his best friend’s chest. “You’re off the hook this time!” 

“You look in a better mood,” Token said to Craig opposite them. “I’m glad.” 

Craig raised a middle finger at him. 

Kyle left with Stan, appreciating at his best friend had already spent more time than he probably wanted to with Kyle’s new friend. Instead they went back to the dorms, and Kyle felt the exhaustion hit him once they got through the front door. 

He managed to send a quick text before he went to sleep, smile on his face at the response he got. 

_Thanks for coming to my game._

_Anytime._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I struggled a little bit with getting this chapter off the ground but honestly I've been super excited to write interactions with the other characters.
> 
> I've also never written interaction between Cartman and Token I don't think, even though I really like their 'friendship' in the show.


	9. Chapter 9

_Friend request received from Laura Tucker_

He didn’t think of it too much at first. He brought it up, scanning the name, and accepted the request before putting his phone away and going about his day. He had plenty of people as friends on his Facebook that he barely knew, or had only met once. It wasn’t that weird. 

He went to his lectures, did his work, and didn’t really look at his phone again until lunch. He saw a message from her, reading the ‘hi, hope you’re well…’ with a smile before he opened it up fully, expecting a cutesy little thing thanking him for spending time with them over the holidays, or telling him she hoped his classes were going well. 

It wasn’t what he got. 

_Hi, hope you’re well. We’re coming up for Craig’s birthday at the weekend and I’m booking the table today. Are you coming?_

Someone called for him, and his head snapped up to see that he was being summoned to walk to his next class with his friends, so he responded as quickly as he could. He couldn’t exactly leave his ‘boyfriend’s’ mother on read, could he? 

_That’d be nice : )_

He rushed over to the next class and put the conversation out his mind with his phone out his sight. 

It didn’t return until later in the day. He was finishing up classes, leaving the science building and finding the courtyard outside where the other students were milling around with the time of day. He saw the pair close by, heading away from him down the path that lead to the car park. The sight of dark hair and a blue bomber jacket reminded him of the message from Laura. 

“Wait, Craig!” Kyle called. 

Craig turned, frown on his face as he saw Kyle running across to where he was. Token was with him, smiling and waving at the redhead as they waited for him to join them. 

Craig was pretty to the point: “What is it?” 

He wasn’t sure at first, about talking about it with Token in the background. But Token knew. He had been the one to suggest this whole ordeal to Craig in the first place. That made it okay to talk about. 

Right? 

“Your mom sent me a message.” 

Craig’s reaction was instantaneous: horror crossed his face as his face began to grow red. 

“Something about a birthday dinner?” 

“Holy shit.” 

Token stifled a laugh behind Craig and spoke to Kyle while his friend attempted to hide his face in his hands. “You must’ve made an impression, huh?” 

“I didn’t – I guess?” Kyle shrugged it off. “When’s your birthday?” 

“On Saturday,” Craig admitted, finally showing his face to the world, though he was grimacing at the sky now. “They want to come up to see me – I told her I’d ask you myself.” 

Kyle raised a brow. “It’s three days away. When were you planning on asking me?” 

“I wasn’t.” 

He huffed out. 

Token chuckled as he patted Craig on the back. “I feel like I should leave you both to, uh, have a private chat about this. I’ll catch you later, dude.” 

“No, Token-!” 

But the boy had already turned, waving over his shoulder as he wandered off. Kyle began to feel a bit warm in the cheeks and wished he’d waited until Token wasn’t there. Or maybe just texted instead. 

Craig’s eyes were on him and he was frozen to the spot. “What did you say to her?” 

“I said…that it’d be nice?” Kyle grimaced. “I feel like I should’ve said I was busy, now.” 

“It’s fine. I didn’t wanna drag you into the role of boyfriend again if I didn’t have to. Especially not here.” 

“What do you mean?” 

“She’s booking in for that all you can eat buffet.” 

Kyle’s brows raised. “You mean…?” 

“Yeah, the one down the street.” 

“That’s a…pretty popular place.” 

“Yup,” Craig nodded. “It’s pretty popular.” 

He knew the one Craig was talking about, because he’d been more than once with Stan, Cartman, and Kenny. It was one of Cartman’s preferred places to eat. 

He felt a little sick. 

“You don’t have to go.” 

He looked up, seeing stormy eyes filled with concern. 

“I can tell her on the day you’re sick.” 

“I can do it,” Kyle insisted. He’d agreed now, and he was honestly kind of looking forward to seeing the Tucker family again. “I like your mom. I don’t wanna disappoint her.” 

Craig smirked. “She’s pretty cool, for a mom.” 

“Is she going to find it weird how…void of you my Facebook is?” 

He shrugged. “Probably not. My family…we’re not really the social media type. Mom tends to have these things just cause other moms do, and she feels like she has to. Mine barely has anything on, I think the last time I posted was sometime last year, so it probably won’t be weird.” 

“That’s good.” 

“If you’re sure you don’t mind, I can message you the time and place when she tells me.” 

“Sure, no problem. It’ll be nice. To see them again.” 

Craig nodded, lopsided smile on his face. “I guess.” 

There was a moment where they stood there, taking up space outside, not making a move to do anything. 

“I was going to go for a coffee,” Kyle lied. “After trying to cram all that info in my brain. You wanna join me?” 

“Sure. Why not.” 

They spent the next two hours in a coffee shop. They only left because Craig got a text from Tweek, asking why he was running late, and the man rushed off in a panic with a goodbye. 

It left Kyle with another problem on his brain. 

It was Craig’s birthday, in three days. He… 

Should he get him a present? 

His first answer was no, he didn’t need to get a present. They’d been friends for a month, only just. There was no reason for him to get a gift; after all he was already doing the man a favour. But… 

He ended up wandering, browsing without any real destination in mind. He decided to get something small, something easy that wouldn’t be too personal or too much pressure but that he was pretty sure the man would like – just a bottle opener, something useful. It felt weird to not get him anything. 

He put it in his room and put it out his mind. 

The next day he ended up getting a case of beers in addition that he’d seen Craig drink. Just in case he hadn’t got enough. 

\--

Friday evening found him, Stan, and Cartman crowded round the stools at the bar, Kenny on the opposite side taking advantage of the quiet to chat with them before the night time rush would arrive. Stan complained about homework he needed to complete, while Cartman prattled on about the club he and Token were in having a meeting on Sunday. 

It was a pretty standard evening. It was nice. 

“When are you free next?” Stan asked to the blonde barman. “We haven’t seen you outside these walls since you got back.” 

“I’m free tomorrow until like, six o’clock?” Kenny offered. 

“We can do that, easy! Right?” 

Cartman sighed out, all drama. “I suppose if I have to.” 

“I can’t,” Kyle grimaced, looking away from his friends. “I have…a thing.” 

“A thing?” Stan pressed. “What thing?” 

“Just a thing.” 

“Since when?” 

He attempted to shrug it off. “Since like, yesterday. It’s not important. It’s just a thing.” 

Kenny leaned across the bar, leering grin forming on his face. “Y’know, Mr Tucker was in here just a couple days ago complaining to that cute blonde he hangs out with that he had his family on his ass about coming up for his birthday.” 

Kyle glowered across the counter. 

“You don’t know anything about that, do you? Don’t they know you as…?” 

Cartman finished his sentence, “His boyfriend?” 

Kenny clicked a finger in Cartman’s direction. “That’s the one.” 

“Yes, I’m going out with Craig’s family for his birthday,” Kyle admitted through gritted teeth. “Why are you guys so caught up on this fake-boyfriend shit?” 

“Because it’s hilarious,” Cartman informed. “Where are you going?” 

“That Asian place you like.” 

He should’ve never said anything. All three of them exchanged looks at the same time, and Kyle felt his stomach drop. 

“You guys are _not_ going.” 

“Who said we were?” Kenny asked with a cheeky grin. 

“Yeah, Kyle, maybe we just wanna hang out somewhere else together?” Cartman’s innocent voice always put him on edge. 

He turned to Stan with a glare. The man put his hands in the air. 

“Don’t look at me. I’m not the idiot who decided to be Craig Tucker’s fake boyfriend.” 

“Fuck you.” 

“So, just out of curiosity,” Cartman probed. “When is it that you’re not available on Saturday?” 

“Not telling, no way, dude.” 

“That’s fine. There are more ways to find out than just by you telling us.” 

“If I see you stalking me I’m going to knock your lights out.” 

“So, as the dutiful boyfriend, have you got him a gift?” Kenny pressed. 

He glared across the bar, face heating up as he ground his teeth together. The blonde grinned back with that Cheshire cat grin. Kyle was ready to lean across the bar and throttle him. 

Cartman’s< headache-inducing laughter was in his ear. “How adorable!” 

“Knock it off, fatass!” 

“Make me, Jew-boy.” 

The following argument ended once he had Cartman’s collar gripped in his fists and Kenny finally decided that maybe he should stop them fighting instead of encouraging it. They settled down and the pair decided the topic was over and started chattering about something else. Kyle huffed out, turning to look at Stan, who had been pretty quiet through it all. 

He stopped in his tracks to see his best friend already looking at him, blue eyes wide and head tilted. He always looked a little bit like a puppy when he was thinking about something too hard. 

“What?” 

But Stan shrugged it off, taking the bottle and muttering ‘nothing, I guess’ before he took a long swig. He didn’t press further. 

\-- 

Kyle left the house at ten o’clock. He left at ten o’clock before Stan was even awake in a desperate hope that if he was out all day, they wouldn’t be able to track him and harass him while he and Craig were playing house. 

He had the gifts for Craig wrapped up and in a spare plastic bag, taking it with him and feeling a little less confident that it was a good idea with every passing second. 

They had agreed to meet before the dinner so they could go together, and four o’clock found him outside Craig's house for the first time since they spent time together on their own around New Year's. He found it easily enough, knocking on the door and waiting with bated breath. 

Craig answered. He stood there, grey jeans and black jumper, and before he could talk Kyle had thrust the bag in his direction. 

“Here. Happy birthday.” 

Craig took the bag carefully, eyes wide as he looked back up at Kyle. “Is this…?” 

“For you,” Kyle forced the tension from his voice and put a smile on his face. “A birthday present. It’s just something small.” 

“You didn’t have to,” Craig said as he poked his nose into the bag. “You’re already doing me a favour with this dinner.” 

“Yeah, well, what kind of boyfriend would I be if I didn’t get you a gift, right?” 

That drew a smile out of the grumpy man. Kyle suggested he opened it later, give them more time to get to the restaurant to meet his parents. Craig scowled down at him at first, but did agree. 

The walk over was a little awkward. It felt similar to the car ride to South Park before Christmas, when they agreed to start this, but instead of dread and fear, it was more sweaty-palms and nerves. 

“We did it last time,” Kyle muttered as they approached. “We can do it again, right?” 

“Right,” Craig agreed. 

Kyle jumped out his skin as he felt a hand slip into his own. 

“You probably want to calm down first.” 

He glared up at the smirking face. “You could’ve given me some warning, asshole.” 

Even if it was just enough warning so he could make sure to wipe his hand first, rather than suffering through someone taking it when his palms felt warm and damp. 

As they strolled up the path that led to the car park outside, they saw the Tuckers piling out the car that was parked as close as it could get. Laura moved over to them with a wide smile as Thomas went to get something from the trunk, Tricia sticking with her dad. Craig finally let go of his hand to hug his mother. 

“Happy birthday!” she greeted. “Have you had a good day?” 

“Yeah, I guess.” 

She didn’t press for a more enthusiastic response, instead turning to Kyle to give him a hug. “How’re you, Kyle? How’s your term going, Mr Marine Biologist?” 

“It’s gone well. I’m really enjoying it, actually.” 

They continued to talk as Thomas and Tricia arrived with them, and Thomas shooed them all into the restaurant. 

Once they were sat down at the table, it was easy to fall back into the role. Craig had an arm around the back of his chair as Tricia told them a story about how she went outside one morning in the last week to find Clyde passed out in the tree in their backyard, and then got to watch their dads attempting to wake him up and get him out the tree. Laura sniggered away at the retelling, though Thomas looked less than impressed. 

“I thought I’d be rid of his shenanigans when you moved away,” he muttered. “But I’m still pulling his drunk ass home.” 

“It’s not the worst position you’ve ever found him in,” Tricia argued. “I remember when they wound up spending Saturday night in the confessional at church, and fell out during service the next morning.” 

Craig shot his sister a nasty look across the table. “Hey!” 

“What?” she grinned sweetly, baring her teeth. “You said to wait till the second visit to embarrass you. This counts.” 

“Wait, you did what?” Kyle pressed. 

“It – it was mostly Clyde.” 

“Mostly Clyde?” Laura scoffed. “You were just as bad!” 

“Now I feel less bad about that time we – uh-?” he cut himself off as he glanced over at Craig’s parents. 

Craig just glared at him and kept going. “Had me in a police station being questioned? You should feel bad about that. It was horrible.” 

“That was you?” Tricia looked at Kyle with wide eyes. “That was hilarious. He was _so salty_.” 

“It wasn’t me.” 

“It was you and your friends.” 

“It was a collective effort.” 

They slipped back into the routine so naturally. He felt comforted, happy to see them, happy to be there next to Craig. Being friends had been weird. This felt better. At least it did, until he caught something out the corner of his eye. 

A flash of gold and white shoes against black socks. Shoes that were way too fancy for this place. 

“Do you two want to get food first?” Laura suggested. “We can mind the table.” 

It was enough to distract him to get up and head to the food buffets, hot on Craig’s heel. He glanced over his shoulder, looking to where the Tuckers sat chatting, and up a few tables away tucked into one of the booths. 

Token. It was definitely Token. He wasn’t on his own, either, judging from the mop of brown and black hair opposite him. 

Craig disappeared to the food before he had a chance to tell him, and Kyle decided it was best to leave it. He didn’t want to ruin his birthday meal so early, or spoil his appetite, but… 

He might want to know. 

They returned to the table and Kyle did his best not to look up to where he knew their friends were sat. Instead he smiled across the table as Craig’s family got up to go get their plates, turning his attention to his food and summoning the will to eat. 

“Hang on,” Craig muttered, leaning in to Kyle, who didn’t look up from his plate. “Is that…?” 

“Yes,” Kyle hissed out through his teeth. “Token, Tweek, Stan, Cartman.” 

“How the hell did they know we would be here?” 

Kyle sighed in defeat. “I told them where, but not when. I spent the whole day out the house in hopes Stan wouldn’t figure it out.” 

“You didn’t need to. I told Token when, but not where.” 

“Shit,” Kyle finally looked up across to where their friends were, chattering between themselves as they ate the food on their plates. “What should we…do?” 

“Can you force yourself to be sick?” 

Kyle shook his head furiously. “No way. I hate being sick.” 

“Damn.” 

“We can – we can do this, can’t we?” 

Craig looked down at him completely doubtful. 

“It’s the same as before, it’s just that now we know afterwards we’re probably gonna get ripped on, but whatever, they’ll get over it.” 

“I don’t think we really have any other options.” 

Kyle glanced over his shoulder to see Tricia returning with her plate. “Yeah, we don’t.” 

She sat down at her space. She narrowed her eyes at them when she realised they were both looking at him. 

“What?” 

“Nothing,” Kyle brushed it off and attempted to put his friends to the back of his mind. “How’s Thomas?” 

She let it go in favour of talking about her friend. “He’s fine. He said you borrowed his skates when you visited? Did you have fun on the lake?” 

Kyle felt the phantom pain from falling ass-backwards onto the ice. “Uh, yeah, it was fun, though…painful.” 

“You’ve got two left feet,” Craig supplied. 

“Hey! I wasn’t that bad!” 

Tricia laughed. “Don’t feel too bad, Craig used to take me skating a lot, so he’s got experience. You’ll have to find something he’s bad at to beat him at. There’s plenty of options.” 

Craig kicked her under the table, though there was a smile on his face. “Bitch.” 

She stuck her tongue out. 

Once the family was seated round the table again, Kyle made an active effort to ignore the rest of the room. It wasn’t like he could do anything now that they were there, and he’d been looking forward to seeing the Tucker family again. He wasn’t going to let their friends ruin that by making him nervous about this whole thing. 

He had a role to play, and he was going to do it. 

He had three plates of food all together, Craig on par with him. Tricia scoffed at them, and Laura was quick to tell them both off as they began to slow down half way through their final plate for trying to eat more than they could. 

Thomas laughed as he polished off his third plate and asked who wanted desert. 

The whole table said yes. 

They were winding down and finishing their drinks when Laura began to fumble with her phone and asked the question: “Let me get a photo of you both!” 

Craig groaned at the request. “Mom, no, you can’t be serious.” 

“Oh come on, I need to update the family photos,” Laura argued. “The birthday photo I have of you at the moment is when you were seven.” 

Thomas scoffed. “Linda’s been forcing you to sit through her photo albums again.” 

Tricia rolled her eyes. “They’re only going to look awkward. Like a couple of blushing virgins.” 

He knew he shouldn’t let it bother him, but… 

It sounded like a challenge. He _hated_ backing down from a challenge. 

Instead he turned to Laura who had opened her camera and was holding it up to get them both in the frame. He shuffled close to Craig, who took the hint and wrapped an arm round the back of Kyle’s chair, giving him plenty of space to nestle into for the camera. 

He felt Craig lean against him and smiled at the camera, laughing a little as Laura practically cooed as she took the photo. 

“Ha!” she looked down victoriously. “Linda might have a whole album for every year of her son’s birth, but I bet she’s never got cute photos of him and his non-existent partner!” 

Thomas sighed as he looked down at her phone. “You need to let it go. I don’t see why you want to get so many photos, we were fine without them.” 

“I’m not going to let her show me up.” 

“You’re ridiculous.” 

Kyle turned to look up at Craig while his parents bickered. Stormy eyes looked down at him, lips pulling up at one corner for a lopsided smile that seemed so genuine. He liked these moments of softness in the usually grumpy man. They felt special. 

He thought of the lab, reaching out and kissing him to prove a point to his sister. He thought of how she might believe them, but still challenged them. He didn’t need to think of anything else to encourage himself to move. 

He lent up and left a chaste kiss on Craig’s lips. It wasn’t quite long enough for him to respond, but he hovered for a moment. Kyle thought maybe Craig was about to duck down and kiss him again. He felt his eyes flutter closed as he welcomed the idea. 

“Gross.” 

Instead he snapped to glare at his sister, who stuck her tongue out at him. 

“Bitter bitch.” 

“What the fuck did you call me?” 

“Oi, you two,” Thomas’s voice commanded from the other side of his wife, glaring at his kids. “Fuckin’ knock it off, would you? We’re in public.” 

Kyle laughed at the scene, leaning back into his chair and the arm that as still across the back, as the siblings argued their defence against their father. By the time Laura was involved in the conversation, a waiter passed by and gave them a nasty look, prompting the woman to suggest maybe it was about time they paid up and left. 

Outside at the car Laura dragged Craig over to grab his presents from the trunk, his dad following. Kyle hung back a moment, watching them interact. There was something that made him feel warm about seeing the three of them interact, Thomas giving him a firm pat on the back as he passed a bag while Laura animatedly talked in a way that seemed a little different for her, though that might’ve been the two glasses of wine she decided to have with dinner. 

“He’s really taken with you, y’know?” 

Kyle looked down with wide eyes, seeing Tricia staring blankly ahead where her parents were fussing over their son. He wasn’t quite sure how to respond to it. This wasn’t a conversation that he thought he was going to have to deal with, expecting more of just a casual visit. No deep and confusing insights this time. 

“You think?” he finally responded with a small laugh. “I’m glad to hear it.” 

“You seem pretty taken with him, too.” 

He turned back to watch Craig pull away from his mother, scowling at her as he snapped some choice words in her direction. A smile tugged at the corners of his lips, and the response came much easier that time: “Yeah, I am.” 

She didn’t say anything else on the matter. After watching the other scuffle around some more, she scoffed and stormed forward to demand they leave so she didn’t have to spend any more time hanging about in a parking lot. 

He watched the family separate, laughing as Tricia gave her brother a good shove, and got dragged into an overbearing hug in response. Kyle gave his own goodbyes, tight hugs and firm handshakes shared, before Craig moved to stand with him and draped an arm around his shoulders. He allowed himself to melt into the man’s side. 

They were stood, waving goodbye to the car that was speeding off, when Craig dropped the question: “I take it you forgot our friends were watching when you decided to kiss me, huh?” 

It took a moment for the reaction to happen, but when it did, he exploded. 

“Oh shit!” Kyle spun round with wide eyes and a pitchy voice. “Oh – Jesus _fuck_ – I can’t believe I – stop laughing!” 

He didn’t. Craig openly laughed, wide and loud in a way he didn’t normally. 

“Oh _Christ_ what have I let us in for?” Kyle groaned as he buried his all too warm face in his hands. “How are you so calm about this?” 

“Maybe I’m just too busy being smug about how apparently distracting I am.” 

Kyle punched him in the arm. “Jackass.” 

Craig’s smirk widened. Kyle caught a flash of teeth. He swallowed. 

Before he could say anything, the doors to the restaurant opened, and they turned to see a loud brunette parading out towards them. 

They took a step away from each other. 

“Well, well, well!” Cartman crowed, Token behind him with Stan and Tweek bringing up the rear. “If it isn’t the couple of the hour!” 

“Bite me.” 

Cartman sneered at the redhead. “I think I’ll leave that to Craig.” 

“Ha, ha,” Kyle snapped back, crossing his arms and glaring at his ‘friend’. “Laugh it up, fatass. Get it out your system and get over it.” 

“I will _never_ get over this!” 

Token approached Craig, smirk on his face as he elbowed his friend. “Kyle's the better actor, huh?"

Craig growled low. “I did fine.” 

Tweek sniggered. “Sure you did. It’s a good thing the rest of your family are as emotionally constipated as you are.” 

Cartman fluttered his lashes as he continued to mock. “He certainly played the part of armoured lover well, didn’t he, Stan?” 

“What?” 

All of them turned to the dark haired boy who was still behind Cartman, looking a little startled. 

“Sorry, I wasn’t paying attention.” 

Cartman scoffed. “Being too bitter about your boyfriend cheating on you?” 

Stan and Kyle rolled their eyes in sync at the accusation, with a practiced response of: “No, Cartman,” for when he said it. 

“We were going to head to the bar after this,” Token said, addressing Kyle, Cartman, and Stan. “Do you guys wanna join us?” 

His gut response was to agree, but he followed Craig’s eye line to Stan, who didn’t look too thrilled at the prospect either. He gave his best smile as he went to decline. 

Cartman beat him to it. “I’ll go, saves hanging out with these gaywads all night.” 

Stan sighed. “I’ll come, sure. If Craig doesn’t mind.” 

“So long as Marsh sits at the opposite end of the bar to me, I’ll be fine.” 

Token chuckled, patting his friend on the shoulder. “Don’t worry, I’m sure if he hurts your pride again, Kyle can kiss it better.” 

Cartman _howled._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS HAS BEEN WRITTEN SINCE BEFORE CRYLE WEEK AND I AM 
> 
> AN IDIOT 
> 
> WHO FORGOT. 
> 
> I thought it was incomplete so I didn't open it till I finished my last Cryle Week fic and it's just there complete and ready to go and I am A FOOL so I'm sorry for the wait but better late than never right???


	10. Chapter 10

Stan started to get weird.

He thought he was subtle about it, but Kyle knew better. They’d been friends since forever and if Stan thought that he wouldn’t notice how fucking weird he was being, he had another thing coming.

Yet…

Kyle didn’t call him out on it. He honestly didn’t dare, because he knew that whatever it was, it was to do with Craig.

Maybe it was selfish of him, but he didn’t want to ruin the friendship he had only just formed with the man. Stan had given him his approval and if he wanted to change his mind then it was just too late. He should’ve thought about it before. Though…

He supposed Stan did give his approval on the condition that he wouldn’t have to hang out with Craig. Yet so far, that wasn’t going to well.

Instead he decided to make more of an effort to create that barrier. He kept most of his interactions with Craig to their college building, where he knew Stan wouldn’t be. He decided to spend a bit more quality time with his best friend, watching TV and playing games in the house. Made sure that when they went to the bar with Cartman and Kenny and bumped into the group they weren’t on a round booth.

Stan continued to be weird. He’d have these moments of silent contemplation, hawk-like eyes watching. When he was caught out he would break out his thoughts, startling at being addressed like he wasn’t expecting it.

It began to really unnerve him when he was getting ready to go out. Stan had suggested they went to the cinema, and while he wasn’t really prepared he wanted to do something to make up for whatever was happening.

He met his best friend at the door, and was met with judgement.

There was a scowl on Stan’s face as his eyes raked up and down Kyle’s torso. “You…wearing that jumper again, huh?”

Kyle glanced down at the NASA jumper. “What? Yeah? I’ve been wearing it for weeks, dude.”

“You’re not gonna give it back?”

He gave a laugh. “It’s basically mine. He would’ve asked for it if he wanted it back that badly.”

“I guess.”

“You ready to go, or do you wanna pick apart the rest of my outfit?”

“No, we can go…”

The movie was fine. They got there in Stan’s car, chatting like there was nothing wrong, Stan buying tickets and Kyle buying popcorn. The movie was mediocre, the kind of thing that Stan loved and Kyle loved to rip on. Though maybe he’d let his best friend have it this time, given the tension that was between them.

Something to let him know that they were still best friends. Nothing was going to happen. Nothing bad that Stan needed to worry about.

It was the drive home where the problem happened. The car began to slow down; something Kyle wouldn’t have really noticed if it wasn’t that Stan’s voice died off half way through a sentence. He looked over to see Stan’s brow pulled together in confusion, eyes flickering between the window and the dashboard.

“Shit.”

“You need to pull over?”

“Yeah,” Stan nodded. “I think so.”

“What’s wrong with it?” Kyle pressed, peering round at the dashboard. “Does it have any warning lights?”

“None that I can see. Everything looks fine.”

They came to a stop, engine still running. Stan was quick to turn it off, mumbling as he tried to figure it out.

Kyle didn’t give him chance. He knew exactly what to do.

“It’s okay,” he started, flipping through his contacts. “I’ll call for help.”

“No, dude I don’t wanna pay anyone I can just-!”

“You don’t need to! Craig’s good with cars!”

He didn’t notice the way Stan froze at the statement, eyes narrowing with a mouth half way through forming a word. Instead he had hopped out the car, taking a few steps to the side to have his conversation, waiting for someone to answer on the other end.

He didn’t have to wait long, before a nasally voice that was becoming part of his routine answered.

_“Why the fuck are you ringing me?”_

“What kind of greeting’s that?”

_“Not like – you normally text. You never ring me.”_

“Yeah, well, this is important,” Kyle spun round to look at the car, Stan still sitting dumbly in the driver’s seat. “Stan’s car broke down. Can you come…help him fix it?”

There was a long, all too dramatic sigh. _“I should’ve never told you my dad was a mechanic.”_

Kyle rolled his eyes. “Please?”

_“Fine. Tell me what’s wrong with it, and then text me where you are. I’ll come out.”_

He described the problem, occasionally shooting questions he was asked to Stan for answers, playing mediator. Once Craig had decided he’d heard enough he asked for the address to be texted and that he would head over now. He wasn’t busy, apparently. He was probably doing college work.

Kyle slid back into the car, blissfully unaware of the side-eye he was receiving from his best friend as he shut the door and made himself comfortable to wait.

“So,” Stan started with a drawl. “Craig’s good with cars, huh?”

Kyle hesitated, not quite willing to look at his best friend and instead busying himself with his phone. “Uh, yeah, he is. His dad’s a mechanic.”

“Huh. Who would’ve thought?”

“He has a motorbike, at home,” Kyle continued, feeling a little like it was digging a hole but not quite able to stop himself. “He was working on it while I was there. He’ll do a good job. Don’t worry.”

“Sure.”

Kyle forced a smile onto his face and decided to do his best to change the subject: “Movie was good, huh?”

Stan took the bait and they started chattering quietly while they waited for Craig to arrive. Stan caught him first, looking in the rear-view mirror as a car pulled up behind them. Kyle glanced out the back window to see the familiar vehicle, dark haired man sat in the driver’s side.

He jumped out the car and met him half way. This time, Stan joined him.

“Hey dude, thanks for coming out.”

Craig shrugged. “Not like I’ve got anything better to do. You know what’s wrong with it, Marsh?”

Stan shook his head. “Sorry. No idea. It just kind of…slowed down and won’t go again.”

“Mind giving me the keys?”

Stan didn’t argue. He gestured to the car where the keys still were, and Craig didn’t waste any time in heading over. He turned the car on, spent a few moments in the driver’s seat, before he hopped out and reached down to find the lever for the front bonnet. Kyle kept his eyes trained on him, biting his thumb as he waited as patiently as he could for their ride home to be fixed.

He didn’t notice the way that Stan’s eyes flickered between the two of them, the gears in his brain turning.

Kyle followed round as Craig opened the bonnet and secured it in place, reaching out to look at the engine properly. He’d been working only a few minutes and he already had a few dark marks on his fingers and wrists.

“Do you think you can fix it?” Kyle pressed, watching the man work. “Do you know what’s wrong with it?”

“I think so,” Craig had a smirk on his face. Like there was a joke he found funny that no one else knew. “Engine sounds and looks healthy. I don’t think that’s your problem.”

Kyle swallowed a lump in his throat. “We’re not in any rush, if you need some more time to look over it.”

“Nah, I think I’m done,” Craig took the bonnet down and let it drop, wiping his hands together as if to brush off the dirt. “Hang on.”

He disappeared to his car and Kyle actively had to stop himself following and totally ditching his best friend.

Craig reappeared from his boot with a canister. He took it to the car and began to fill up the fuel tank, whispers of a smile still on his face.

“Wait,” Stan finally spoke up. “My tank isn’t empty. The dial-?”

“Is totally busted,” Craig supplied, looking up and meeting Stan’s gaze dead on. “Might be a fuse. I can fix that for you as well if you want, but I don’t really carry around shit. I’m not actually a mechanic.”

Stan had a scowl etched onto his face. “So it’s out of gas?”

“I think so. We’ll find out in a second when you start it back up.”

Once he’d given it the okay, Craig moved to stand by Kyle, canister still in his hands, as Stan moved to get back in the car. The redhead turned to their saviour and left Stan to figure it out on his own. He wasn’t surprised to find that when he faced Craig this close, he smelt a little like a gas station. That may have been the open canister, though.

“Seriously, thanks,” Kyle pressed.

“Seriously, I should’ve never told you I knew my way around a car,” Craig barbed back, though it lacked heat. “Maybe I should charge you for my services.”

Kyle rolled his eyes, folding his arms across his chest. The action took the stormy eyes down, scanning across his torso. Before Kyle had a chance to respond Craig was speaking again.

“Nice jumper.”

He felt a vague sense of dejavu, though this time he smirked up through his embarrassment. “Thanks. It’s mine.”

Craig scoffed, one hand on his hip as he tilted his head. “Thieving little shit.”

“You’ve not tried to get it back yet, so you can’t miss it that much.”

“That’s cause every time I see it, you’re wearing it. Last thing I need is Marsh getting funny ideas about me stripping you at the side of the road.”

Kyle snorted, opening his mouth for a witty retort to the smirking man before he was interrupted by a loud horn.

He definitely didn’t jump half a mile in the air.

He spun round to Stan. “What?”

“It’s working,” Stan said through a wound down window, inching the car backwards to prove the point. “Your boyfriend fixed it.”

“Oh, ha, ha,” he spat out, turning to see Craig clearing his throat and looking away.

“Am I still taking you home, or are you-?!”

“Yes!” Kyle snapped out before Stan could embarrass him further. “Yes, hang on, let me just – do you want anything? For, like, coming out, or the gas, or…?”

“No,” Craig shook his head. “Don’t worry about it.”

“Alright. Thanks, again.”

“Sure. I’m gonna go back to my assignments.”

“Go back to procrastinating your assignments, you mean.”

Craig shrugged. “Yeah, pretty much.”

They parted ways, Kyle piling into the passenger seat of Stan’s car and fastening his seatbelt as his best friend started driving. They took it at a steady speed, and at first Kyle thought that it was because he was nervous of it breaking again.

He realised that he was wrong as Stan reached out to turn down the volume of the radio, sucking in a deep breath, eyes focused on the road. They were going to talk. They were going to have a very serious talk. This was exactly what Randy did when he was preparing to lay down some law with the boys when they were teenagers, and Stan definitely picked it up whether he liked it or not.

He was expecting something about how he didn’t like Craig. How it had gone on long enough. How Stan knew he’d said he wanted them to be friends, but not like this. But that’s not what he got.

“Are we gonna talk about your big fat crush on Craig?”

“What?!”

Stan was unmoving.

Kyle floundered. He gave half words, spluttering through his response as he tried to process where the fucking hell Stan got off making baseless accusations. “I – what the hell, dude?”

“You heard me. Big fat crush.”

He scrambled his way through his thoughts as he tried to form a sentence. “Look, I don’t have a crush on him, okay?”

“Uh-huh,” Stan nodded, eyes on the road ahead. “Sure.”

“I don’t! You’re getting way mixed up.”

“Whatever you say.”

“Would you stop that?!”

“Stop what?”

“Sounding so unconvinced?!”

Stan raised a brow.

“Ugh, you’re insufferable!”

“I’m just saying, dude, it’s pretty hard to ignore the evidence.”

Kyle threw his arms in the air. “What ‘evidence’?!”

“You wear his jumper.”

“It’s comfortable, and he hasn’t asked for it back.”

“Yeah, but you like, wear his jumper, considering you have your own you wear it a lot.”

He scoffed and rolled his eyes.

“You got him a birthday present.”

“I buy you birthday presents!”

“You’ve known me for years, Kyle. You don’t buy Jimmy birthday presents, and you’ve been friends with him longer than Craig.”

He felt the annoyance boiling in his stomach, clicking his tongue in his mouth.

“You’ve started to do that.”

“What? Being annoyed?”

“That-!” Stan gave an over-exaggerated click of his tongue. “-Is a Craig habit.”

“It’s not exclusively a Craig habit.”

“No, but you sure picked it up off him.”

“Whatever. You’re so full of shit.”

“You called him out to fix my car.”

“It needed fixing! Who else would fix it?!”

“Butters?”

Kyle snapped his jaw closed.

“Butters works at a mechanics in his hometown,” Stan informed. “I was going to ring him, but you were already ringing Craig before you let me get a word in.”

“I didn’t know you were ringing Butters.”

Stan rolled his eyes that time. “You pretty much jumped at the chance to ring Craig, and the look on your face when he was working on the car? That says it all. The only thing that makes your relationship fake is that the only time you’ve kissed is in front of his family.”

He couldn’t stop it. He felt the thud of his heart as blood rushed to his cheeks and set his face alight.

“…Have you…?”

“No!” Kyle snapped way too fast.

“Oh my god.”

“I’m warning you, Stan!”

“Have you guys…?”

“It was one time!”

Stan laughed. “Holy – you have got to be kidding me?! Why am I even having to explain the evidence of why you have a crush – what happened?”

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

“You’re right, I don’t wanna know. The last mental image I need is you sucking face with that asshole.”

Kyle felt the annoyance boil over. “No – this is – you want to know why I don’t have a crush?”

“Sure, go on then. What’s your defence?”

He held up a finger. “First of all, compared to other people I’ve dated, he’s totally not my type, like, at all.”

“Oh for – how is he not your type?!”

“He’s an asshole!” Kyle shouted. “He’s such a sarcastic dick! Compared to Heidi? Or Rebecca? Or Davíd? Davíd wasn’t an asshole!”

“They have more in common than you’re letting on.”

He chose to ignore that rabbit hole. “Secondly, the only reason we’re even hanging out is because you lot forced us too. We were totally fine with not being super close, but then you guys were like ‘oh no, that’s unhealthy’. We could’ve never spoken again and it wouldn’t have bothered me in the slightest!”

“Bull. Shit.”

He kept going. “Third, just because you’re physically attracted to someone doesn’t mean that you have a crush on them, alright?”

“Ha!” Stan grinned as if he had a victory. “So you are attracted to him?”

“I never said I wasn’t, I said I didn’t have a crush on him.”

“What-ever.”

“That’s the only reason that we made-out,” Kyle defended. “And the only thing that causes any alleged looks I’ve given him.”

“I know you,” Stan said. “And I know what you look like when you have a crush on someone. And whether you like it or not, you absolutely have a crush on him, dude.”

“You’re delusional.”

“No, you’re delusional. I saw how you acted with him in front of his family. I know you. You’re a terrible actor.”

“I got better.”

Stan huffed. “Deny it all you want now, but you can’t keep ignoring it.”

There was nothing there to ignore. Just because Stan had known him so long didn’t make him the speaker for Kyle’s feelings. Kyle was his own speaker for his own goddamn feelings. Stan was probably just trying to reason out in his own brain why Kyle would want to be friends with someone he didn’t like, when they usually agreed on these things so easily.

He was thankful when Stan didn’t bring it up again. He was saved from the ridiculous conversation for a whole day, continuing as if nothing was out the ordinary. He spoke to his friends, Craig included, as a friend, in person and via text.

Wendy messaged him to arrange a study session at the library. He accepted readily; she was good company, and they got on well, even if they didn’t have much in common coursework wise. She was a good soundboard when he needed it. He was happy to be one for her in return.

Stan would join them sometimes, though he never lasted that long. It was nice to have someone who would be able to study in long stints like he could, but who knew when he needed a break.

It started like a normal session, them both sat down opposite each other working away, occasionally thinking out loud, only getting up to use the bathroom when they absolutely had to.

Her tone was telling. Letting out a sigh that signalled she wanted a break. He tried not to smirk as he continued to work.

“How’s marine biology?”

“It’s good,” he admitted. “I’m glad that I settled on it.”

“It suits you, in a weird way.”

He glanced up. She had her chin resting on her hands, not bothering with the pretence of pretending to work. He folded his arms across the book below and decided to indulge her on her break. “I’m glad. I was really worried about it.”

“I couldn’t tell, with how long it took you to pick.”

He grimaced.

“Sorry, if that was too harsh.”

“No, you’re right. I know I’m not great at…committing to things.”

“Better late than never,” she tilted her head. “Stan mentioned that you picked it while you were away, at Craig’s.”

“I did, yeah,” he smiled as he thought about the talk by the lake. It was an atmospheric memory. One that he thought of in high regard. “He helped.”

“I think it’s very sweet that he helped your pick your major,” Wendy started, with that soft tone she always did when she was trying to lull you into a sense of security before she sniped out some information. “You must’ve really bonded over winter break?”

“We did. I guess anyone would.”

“I’m glad you started hanging out again here properly. It would’ve been a shame to let that go. Though…do you think it’s been different, being back with him?”

“I guess, compared to being there. Call it a winter fling, I guess,” he joked. “Happened over the holidays, and now it’s back to normal.”

“Is it?”

He narrowed his eyes across the table. “Did Stan ask you to talk to me?”

“He’s just worried,” she confirmed. “That you’re refusing to accept something important, but won’t open up as to why. He thinks maybe he caused it, by being so open about his dislike of Craig.”

“He thinks that there’s something going on because of the way I act round Craig, but maybe that’s just the way our friendship is. We started it by pretending to date, surely it’s normal that our friendship might look a little weird compared to some other people.”

She scoffed at that, diplomatic act dropped. “Oh, please. Don’t take me for an idiot, Kyle.”

“What’s that meant to mean?”

“Trying to pin you acting like you have feelings on faking them?"

He went on the defensive. “You’re as bad as Stan.”

“Look, I know Craig,” she started. “And I know you, as well. Neither of you are the types to be totally open to your feelings. I think it’s more likely that you’re using the ‘fake-dating’ as a cover for yourself, so you don’t have to accept them.”

He grit his teeth at her words. “Back off, Wendy.”

She narrowed her eyes, but did as she was asked.

“Look, I get that…Stan might think I’m hiding something and it’s his fault. And I’ll talk to him about it, I promise, but that’s not what’s going on. Give me some credit, at least.”

“Alright,” she sighed out. “But know that…if, and only if!” she held up a finger before he could argue. “If you do develop them, Stan wouldn’t be upset with you. And it wouldn’t be wrong, to change your mind. We wouldn’t think less of you.”

“Thanks.”

“And if Stan did end up being upset,” she continued. “I would totally kick his ass for you.”

A smile broke forth on his face. “My knight in shining armour, huh?”

She smiled wide. “Someone’s gotta be, right?”

“Are we going to actually study, or do you just want to give up and gossip?”

“Ugh. Do we have to?” she grimaced as she looked down at her papers. “I’m sick of staring at the same sentence.”

“Let’s grab some food. It might help us concentrate.”

She was quick to agree, packing her things and bumping their arms together as they walked. “Are you going to this party that Token’s hosting? Bebe keeps asking me about it and I haven’t decided.”

“Yes, I am. I’ll save you from third-wheeling her and her various suitors.”

“Thank fuck.”

\--

Kyle arrived at the party with Stan, Kenny, and Cartman in tow. Stan always lead their group, ever the socialite of them, though the same could be said for Kenny, really. It was just that the blonde wasn’t actually a student, so tended to sneak in around them to socialise. Cartman was already talking about getting drinks made seeing as they had the master mixologist with them.

The place was starting to buzz already, people itching to get to the sleek student house that house Token and those who lived with him. It was the kind of place you wanted to be to party. Kenny and Stan were thrumming with energy already.

They found the host in the kitchen with his usual crew; Token, Craig, and Tweek all sitting around chatting amongst themselves. Wendy was there with them, sat with Tweek on some tall stools, and she was the first to notice them with a wave.

“You made it!”

“Course,” Stan answered her once they arrived. “Wouldn’t miss it. Where’s Nicole?”

“She’s coming with Bebe. So, late.”

Kyle looked passed Wendy and Stan, passed Kenny harassing Tweek, passed Cartman dragging Token into a conversation. Craig was at the end of a table, one hand with a bottle of cider, one hand shoved in his pocket.

Grey eyes snapped to him. The bottle was tilted in his direction.

He focused on it instead of Craig, rushes of the conversations he’d had with Stan and Wendy hitting him full force.

Who did they think they were putting all these weird-ass thoughts in his head?

“Want one?”

“Huh?”

Craig smirked. “A drink. Do you want a drink?”

“Way to be patronising,” Kyle drawled out with a half-hearted glare. “Yeah, I could go for one.”

Craig fished around in his pocket, withdrawing a familiar looking item.

It was his birthday present, from Kyle.

“Craig’s just been looking for an excuse to use his new multitool,” Token explained with a roll of his eyes. “It’s got a bottle opener on it.”

“Like he hasn’t used every other fucking excuse in the book to try use it,” Tweek spat out.

Craig gestured the black tool in the blonde’s direction, who hissed out in response.

“Don’t wield it at me!”

“It’s totally safe, Tweek,” Craig assured.

“I’m glad you like it.”

They all stopped. Eyes fell on Kyle. He realised that maybe that was the wrong thing to say.

But Craig smiled as he fiddled with the bottle in his hands and popped the cap off. “Yeah. I do. Thanks.”

“Was that your birthday present to him?” Kenny drawled. “That’s so boring. I was imagining-!”

“I don’t want to know what you were imagining,” Kyle cut off.

“Kenny’s right, that’s super boring,” Cartman agreed. “Stingy little-!”

“Do not start with me, fatass.”

Cartman huffed out. “Whatever. Why don’t you go back to kissing your boyfriend?”

Before he could bite out another insult to hurl across at the brunette, someone had slid a bottle across the counter towards him. Cartman took it, eyes narrowed as he looked up across at Craig.

Craig, who smirked and said: “Here. Maybe this’ll help calm the jealousy in your voice.”

As soon as Kenny started laughing loudly at Cartman, who spluttered through his rage, the room began to devolve. Craig muttered an excuse to leave the room while Cartman argued with Kenny, who was still too busy laughing at him, and Token was quick to follow out. Tweek stayed with them, sniggering away with Wendy.

“Hey, fellas. You got room for one more in your lil’ company?”

Stan turned with a breath of relief. “Oh, Butters, dude, am I glad to see you. I want your help with my car.”

Wendy gave him a disapproving look. “Don’t sign Butters up to fix your rust-bucket, Stan.”

“What? He likes cars! Tell her, Butters.”

“I do! Honest, Wends, I do like ‘em!”

“See?”

“What’s wrong with it, Stan?” Butters asked with a warm smile. “I’ll see if I can help.”

Kyle spent a brief moment wondering if the reason Craig had left with Token in tow was because he’d seen Butters come into the room.

“It ran out of gas yesterday, Kyle called Craig out to fix it, he said he thinks there’s a fuse or something gone that’s messing with my fuel gauge.”

Butters’ eyes creased at the corners, flickering to Kyle knowingly for a moment. “That sounds like somethin’ I could look at, though I make no promises on fixing it!”

“I can’t believe Kyle called his boyfriend out to fix his other boyfriend’s car.”

Kyle glared across at Cartman, who was happily drinking the bottle he’d been given.

“Is Craig good with cars?” Wendy pressed. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard him talk about them.”

“He – yeah, I mean, his…dad’s a mechanic, I think.”

“Oh, wow,” she turned her eyes to Butters, though he cut her off before she could speak.

“I know ya’ mean well, when you try to find common ground for us, Wends, but honestly, it ain’t a big deal.”

She scowled at that.

Tweek gave a low hum of disapproval. “Have you been trying to make them hang out again, Wendy?”

“What?! No, I haven’t, I’ve just-?”

“Some people just don’t get on, man.”

“They barely know each other!” she argued. “How do they know they won’t get along?”

“He gives me the heebygeebies.”

She rolled her eyes at Butters’s words. “I think you'd make good friends." 

Kyle spoke up, and tried to choose his words carefully. “Just let it happen naturally, Wendy. If they find a reason to hang out, they will. If not, they won’t. It’s whatever.”

“Fine,” she sighed. “I know when I’m outnumbered.”

She didn’t have to wait for long before her friends arrived. With Nichole and Bebe there, the group split up to go mingle with other people and activities, each equipped with a drink. Kyle and Stan knocked their cans together before taking their first sips, leaving Kenny working his magic with the array of alcohol at his disposal, Tweek and Cartman his loyal watchers.

They wandered through the house, seeing various people they knew. A few drinks in lead them to looking out at where the doors opened onto the courtyard, a few people they knew milling about.

Token was there with Craig.

He watched as Craig spun the multi-tool round his finger by the keyring, chatting away to Token as he did so. Pink cheeks that gave away how much he’d drank, making him loose enough that he had a wide smile on his face, teeth on show.

He felt a thud in his chest, watching it happen. He’d noticed that Craig didn’t smile with his teeth very often. He’d noticed, belatedly, that around the Tucker house there had been pictures of Craig with braces as a kid. It wasn’t something he really registered at the time; some kids got them. But maybe it was why he didn’t seem as confident with his smile.

Was that what it was? Confidence?

He wasn’t sure there was any reason for him to be self-conscious about it. Not anymore.

The weight of his best friend’s words hit him again. Arguing the point of how Kyle felt. Of the fact that Craig had more in common with the people he’d dated than Kyle gave him credit for. It made him think…maybe…

“I think you’re right.”

He didn’t need to look at Stan to know that his eyes were on him. “What?”

“About Craig. I think you’re right.”

They were quiet for a few moments, watching the conversation happen in front of them. Allowing Kyle’s brain to process exactly what the feelings he was feeling were.

Craig looked over, catching his eyes. The wide toothed smile disappeared and softened. He nodded his head and raised a hand. Kyle waved in response. The smile widened a bit.

He felt like he was suffocating.

“I think I need to go somewhere a bit quieter.”

“There’s a room behind us. Could duck your head in there for five minutes?”

“Yeah,” Kyle nodded. “I think that’s a good idea. Cover me.”

He spun round, heading to the door that was directly behind them. He was pleased that it wasn’t locked, and shut it with a breath of relief, back sinking into the wood as he pressed himself against it. He shut his eyes and attempted to calm down.

All he could see behind his eyelids was that drunken smile.

He decided to take in the room he’d wound up stumbling into instead. He looked around, walking forward till he was standing in the centre of the room.

This was…

This was Craig’s room.

He recognised some of the items. He recognised the text books, the open backpack on the floor. Recognised some of the clothes that were stashed in the laundry basket.

It was modestly decorated; much like the one that he had at home with is parent’s. Kyle thought it suited him well. The practical nature that he tried so hard to uphold, despite the fact that he had a soft spot for some things.

Like the fact that he had a stack of birthday cards next to his desk, not yet thrown out. Kyle felt the corner of his lips tug upwards as he flipped through the top one, a jokey front with a long greeting inside, signed by Clyde.

Craig could be as practical and level headed on the outside as he wanted to be, but Kyle had the opportunity to have seen first-hand what he was like outside of college. It brought heat to his cheeks and a warmth in his chest.

His hand ghosted from the cards over the desk, along the keyboard hooked up to a desktop computer. He tried to use the objects in the room to bring himself out of panicking.

Though he wasn’t sure if it was him grounding himself, or him getting wrapped up in the contents of the room.

He startled as the door opened, spinning round to see who had entered. He should’ve expected it, really. He’d watched Kyle go into his room; of course he’d want to know why.

Craig stood there, half empty bottle in his hand as he shut the door, muffling the noise of the party on the other side. He took a few steps forward to stand in the centre of the room before he addressed Kyle. Kyle, who was waiting for something with bated breath.

“Hey.”

Kyle smiled, feeling a flutter in his chest that he dimly registered as happiness. “Hey. I – uh, sorry I’m in your room.”

“It’s fine,” Craig shrugged it off. “Not like you’ve not been in here before.”

“Not since New Year's.”

Craig’s brows pulled together slowly. “Really?" 

Kyle chuckled and walked towards him. Once he got close enough he could smell the alcohol. “Dude, how much have you had to drink?”

“Hmm…I dunno. I lost track. How much have you had to drink?”

“Not as much as you’d I’d bet.”

“Catch up, slowpoke.”

He laughed. Craig smiled. He felt that rush of joy again.

“Why are you hiding out in here, anyway?”

“I just…got a bit overwhelmed,” Kyle admitted. “Needed somewhere to cool off. This room was closest.”

Craig gave a soft hum, staggering forward in order to rest his head on Kyle’s shoulder. The redhead stuttered at the action, not quite sure what to do with himself as the taller boy used him as a crutch to stay standing. If he thought the smell of alcohol was strong before, he wasn’t ready for it when it was up close and personal.

“Are you feeling better?”

It took him a moment to realise that it was a question directed at him, in response to something he’d said. “Yeah, I am.”

“Good.”

He raised a hand, running it down the man’s back and allowed himself a moment of indulgence. “You’re drunk.”

“Maybe,” Craig’s breath brushed against his neck as the man turned his head, facing into Kyle’s neck. “You smell nice.”

“Thanks. That’s not weird.”

“Who gives a shit,” was the low growl. “No one’s here to hold it against us. I can say what I want.”

“You might regret such a loose filter in the morning.”

When no response came, Kyle decided it couldn’t have been too bad to just…enjoy the moment, right? If Craig was comfortable and wanted to be there, it wasn’t bad to let him stay, even though…

Even though it had clicked in place in his brain. The reason why he was happy when he saw the dark haired man, or why he jumped at an excuse to contact him. Why seeing Craig happy affected him so much. That maybe it wasn’t quite friendship.

The hand that he had settled on Craig’s back twitched, itching with a desire to grasp the fabric that was underneath his fingertips.

“We should go back out,” Kyle murmured. “Don’t want them getting any funny ideas.”

Craig was silent for a few moments before he answered. “If you want. If you’re ready?”

He nodded, not quite trusting himself to speak. Craig waited, clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth, and then pulled back.

“Alright. C’mon, you’ve gotta catch up to me, remember.”

Kyle snorted with laughter. “I’m not getting that drunk, dude.”

Stan didn't press for information when they met up again later, Kyle hanging out with Craig and Tweek in the kitchen. He simply knocked his can against the bottle Kyle had been given in support. It was enough to get him through the rest of the night. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I wrote this super late half asleep so excuse me for any mistakes it's long I'll edit it later I promise


	11. Chapter 11

Kyle laid out on the couch, staring at the ceiling of the shared living room, as he had been for what felt like hours. Some Netflix documentary was playing in the background, and periodically his phone would ping with a notification. He was pretty sure he was having a meltdown. 

Since his epiphany the night before, he had spent the better part of the day struggling to properly come to terms with it. He’d been so convinced Stan had been wrong, _so convinced_ , and now… 

Now that was all blown out the water. 

He had a crush. He couldn’t ignore it any longer. 

“Dude, are you gonna mope around on the couch all day?” Stan’s voice echoed from behind him. “I get that it’s a big deal, but it’s not, like, the end of the world kind of deal.” 

“Let me have this, Stan,” he muttered back without taking his eyes off the documentary playing. “I want to learn about sharks.” 

There was a dip in the couch as Stan made himself comfortable next to him, one arm against the back of the couch, fist moving to rest against the side of his head as he turned to the TV. “Sharks are pretty cool.” 

“They are,” Kyle agreed. “Not as cool as whales.” 

“Shit, dude, I fucking love whales.” 

They sat in silence for some time, watching the TV together. Having company helped ease his thoughts a little bit. Helped him process them a little more linearly instead of being scattered about the room with no end in sight. Helped comfort him a little knowing he wasn’t totally on his own. 

His phone buzzed again. Twice, in quick succession. He dropped his head against the back of the couch and lolled round to look at Stan with big eyes. 

Stan looked down at him, unimpressed. After four seconds he rolled his eyes and sat up, reaching across to get Kyle’s phone and find out who wanted his attention so bad. Kyle watched it happen, still somewhere in his haze of a meltdown that he may or may not be working through healthily. 

“Cartman…there’s a couple from Craig and – oh.” 

“Oh?” 

“Uh, your mom’s texted you,” Stan’s voice was low. Careful. “She wants to set up a time to call you through Ike’s discord.” 

No amount of careful handling from his best friend could stop the volcano that was his emotions. The haze lifted to make way for impending panic. He scrambled, eyes wide as he pressed himself against the back of the couch and stared at the phone in Stan’s hands. 

Blue eyes looked at him. “When did you last speak to her?” 

“I text her.” 

“When did you last _speak_ to her?” 

Kyle grimaced. “Week before Hanukkah.” 

“Dude…” 

“I know,” he looked away from the eyes full of pity. “I know, okay? I meant to ring her after New Year’s, but I just…” 

“You’ve avoided her long enough. I was willing to cover for you over the holidays, but this is too much. You can’t keep dodging it. Does she even know you chose your major?” 

“Yes,” he grimaced. “I told Ike, at least.” 

Stan placed the phone on the table, turning to Kyle with a scowl. “Okay dude, I’m putting my foot down. If you won’t speak to them for your own sake, at least do it for Ike’s.” 

Kyle felt the words dig a deep knife into his chest. “Low blow.” 

“Hey, if it’ll get you to pull your thumb out your ass, it’s worth it.” 

He made a groaning sound of protest as Stan opened the message properly and prepared himself to type out a response. The long, drawn out noise wasn’t enough to deter him though. 

“What do you want me to say?” 

“Give it,” Kyle relented. “I’ll do it.” 

Stan handed the phone over before turning back to the TV. Kyle stared down at the message, reading it thoroughly as he tried to work out what to say. 

_It’s been too long since we’ve seen you. Your brother is going to set up a call through his discord with you. When are you free?_

“When am I free?” 

Stan snorted. “I don’t know your timetable, dude. Though, I’m pretty sure we’re going out tomorrow, so not tomorrow. Probably Friday night, your classes finish at five, right?” 

“Sure, you don’t know my timetable at all.” 

Stan shoved him. 

_Friday after six I’m free?_

The response was almost immediate. So was the wail of annoyance he gave. 

_Perfect. You can tell me about your new major and your new boy that I saw a photo of you with. Seems you’ll have plenty to talk about, after not talking for so long._

Facebook photos were going to be the death of him. 

He didn’t know why he didn’t think of it before, after Stan had called him out on it over the holidays. He knew that Laura had posted the photo of him and Craig; he suffered through Kenny joking about making it his phone background when he’d seen it. 

But he never considered what his parents would think of it if they saw. Honestly with how little they’d spoken since he left for his second year of college, he stopped considering what their opinion on certain things were. They rarely commented on what he did anymore. 

It made him dread the upcoming conversation. If she planned on bringing this up, what else did she plan on bringing up? 

“I can be there when you do it,” Stan offered and rested a hand on Kyle’s back. “I don’t mind just sitting in the room for like, moral support or something.” 

“Fuck, I think I’ll need it.” 

He opened the text from Cartman and left the man on read, just to piss him off. It was something he did regularly, though in half an hour he'd probably actually read it. Stan snorted and rolled his eyes before turning back to the documentary they'd abandoned. 

It left Kyle to open his texts from Craig, deciding that gay panic was preferable to his family panic. A distraction was a distraction. 

_Hey you_ _wanna_ _go for a drink?_

_I've been hungover all day and only more alcohol will cure me_

He snapped up the opportunity: _I’m free now??_

“I’m going for a drink,” he announced to Stan. “Shit, I need to get dressed.” 

Stan watched him shoot off the couch with a deadpan expression. “Let me guess, Craig?” 

“It’ll help me unwind after that.” 

“Maybe it’ll help you process your meltdown about having a-!” 

“Thanks for your input, didn’t ask for it!” 

It didn’t take him too long to get ready. He changed – twice – into something that looked not good enough but not hideous, before manhandling his hair into control. With a green jacket round his shoulders he was heading out the door with his wallet and phone, and a promise not to be back too late. 

Craig was waiting outside for him when he got there. It was something that he’d done ever since they started hanging out; to wait outside rather than heading in first, but it was something that Kyle appreciated. Caused a happy flush to spread across his face with a smile that made a lot more sense now than it had previously. 

“Hey,” Kyle greeted. “Ready to go in?” 

“Yeah. Let’s go.” 

They would go and get seats at the bar; Kyle’s favourite place to sit, if he was honest. Mostly because it meant Kenny could chatter away with them when he wasn’t busy but was on shift. He was there that day, lopsided smile on his face as he greeted them once they’d sat. 

“Hey lovebirds, what can I get you?” 

Craig flipped him off. Kyle usually rolled his eyes, though that day it was more embarrassing than usual. Instead he pretended he didn’t hear it and just ordered their drinks without much thought. 

Craig didn’t correct him. He was a creature of habit anyway. He always had the same thing. 

“What’s up then?” 

Kyle looked up at Craig’s question. “What do you mean?” 

“You seemed eager to get out,” Craig said. “Did something happen?” 

“Just...family things.” 

“Ah, the estranged parents.” 

“They’re not estranged,” Kyle corrected. “Just...” 

“Overbearing?” 

“Yeah, that’s a good word for it.” 

“For overbearing parents, they rarely seem to contact you.” 

Kyle ran a hand across his face. “I guess. I don’t want to...bore you with it. Drag your mood down.” 

“I don’t mind. If you want to talk about it, you can,” Craig shrugged. “I know I’m not the most...empathetic person, but I can listen.” 

He bit down on his lip as he tried to figure out how to start. “My mom’s finally cornered me into calling with her. They want to set up a videocall so they can see me and speak to me. I haven’t spoken to them in a long while.” 

“Since New Years?” 

Kyle grimaced. 

“Hey, I thought you said you were gonna call them?” 

“Yeah, I was, but...” 

Craig raised a brow. 

“I got...caught up in other stuff.” 

“Maybe I should’ve said estranged son, then?” 

He let out a long groan. “Don’t, Stan’s already had a go at me for it. He and my brother covered for me over the holidays, but...he’s right. It’s been too long. I need to do it.” 

The pair fell into silence, Kyle looking down into the bottle in his hands and wondering if maybe he should’ve ordered something a bit stronger. 

“Do you want me to be there?” 

Kyle looked up with wide eyes as his brain attempted to process the question. 

Craig wasn’t looking at him though, resolutely scowling down at the bottle in his hands as he picked at the label. 

“I couldn’t ask you to do that.” 

“You’re not, I’m offering,” Craig corrected. “You came to be with my family for a week. And then came for a dinner with them on my birthday. It’s hardly payback to just…sit in on a video call. But I can. If it’ll help.” 

His first reaction was to say no. To insist that he didn’t have to and that he could manage it on his own, but…Craig made a point about him doing the same, twice even. Maybe having company there would make it easier. Stan was going to sit in with him, to be there as support, but having someone else sat by his side to maybe curb any nasty comments she might let slip out would be nice. 

“I’ll take your silence as a ‘yes please’.” 

“Yes, please,” Kyle confirmed. 

Craig finally looked at him, lopsided smile on his face. “Wanna give me a brief of your family?” 

“I’ll try give you more to go on than what you gave me.” 

An attractive smirk curled round Craig’s lips. “You seemed to handle it fine.” 

He turned away in an attempt to calm the fluttering happening in his stomach. “Yeah, thankfully for you, huh?” 

Once he had a strong drink off Kenny, he sat and gave Craig the rundown of his family. His brother, mother, and father; their names and what kind of people they were. Craig, to his credit, sat and seemed to absorb it all, even when he got a little off topic and started to talk about the neighbourhood they lived in, and the Marsh’s that lived next door. 

Two more drinks in and he finally had something to say on it all: 

“I’m not going to listen to you talk about Marsh all night and then drag your drunk ass home,” he snapped as Kenny arrived and Kyle tried to order another drink. 

Kenny, who helpfully chimed in with a: “Aww, Kyle, you can’t talk about your ex-boyfriend with your new boyfriend. He'll get jealous."

“You’re as bad as Cartman sometimes,” Kyle muttered. 

“He’s right though, how about you slow down a little. Or at least stop stressing. It’s all you’ve done since you walked into the bar,” Kenny suggested. “I’ll get you a couple more drinks and come hang out a bit, if you’re done having your alone time.” 

The prospect of being able to spend some time with Kenny was nice, even if it did intrude on his time with Craig. 

At the end of the night he was more tipsy than drunk, though that didn’t stop Craig offering to take him home. The prospect sent fire through his veins in a way that made him too eager to say no for fear of embarrassing himself further. 

\--

_‘You sure about this, dude?’_

That had been the only thing Stan had to say on Craig being the one to sit with Kyle. He had that look on his face like he thought that Kyle was about to make his life harder, but the decision had been made already and Kyle wasn’t one to backdown from something he’d agreed to. Stan accepted it and allowed Kyle to borrow his chair so that Craig had somewhere to sit in his room for when his parents called. 

After telling his mother than Craig would be there so she could meet him, he spent the rest of his Thursday night tidying his bedroom in preparation, as Craig suggested they met at the science building and walked back to Kyle’s together. It made him unreasonably happy. 

But that’s exactly what they did. He waited in the courtyard for the man’s classes to finish, playing some dumb farming game on his phone. He heard Craig call for his attention and looked up to see him approaching, heart stuttering in his chest at the sight. 

“You look nice.” 

He regretted saying it as soon as the words left his mouth, but Craig didn’t seem to mind. Instead the man rubbed the back of his neck with a lopsided smile that threatened to show teeth. “Thanks. I thought I should probably...put in a bit of effort.” 

“It paid off.” 

Which was true. With some extra attention to styling his hair, and wearing a well-fitted grey V-neck shirt, Craig looked like he’d organised himself well that morning. 

Kyle cleared his throat and gestured vaguely over his shoulder. “We should...” 

“Lead the way.” 

He spun round and did so in an attempt to recover from the awkward compliment. 

The flat wasn’t too far of a walk from campus, and when they arrived Stan was there sat on the couch in their living space watching TV. He gave a nod and a wave as they entered, and Kyle watched the pair exchange uncomfortable greetings. 

He didn’t leave them together for too long, darting into the kitchen to get them a couple of glasses of water, before he led Craig through the hallway to his room. 

His heart was in his throat as he opened the door and allowed his ‘boyfriend’ into his room for the first time. 

Kyle gestured towards his desk where his computer was set up, two chairs positioned in front of it. One belonging to him, and one borrowed from Stan. Craig moved into the room fully and the nerves he was feeling from having the other man in his room settled in fully. 

“I tried to…tidy it up and stuff.” 

Craig turned with a smirk. “For me, or for your mom?” 

“Uh, mostly for mom, honestly.” 

They sat down at the desk and he fired a message out to Ike on Discord, letting him know that they were ready to call whenever. He sat back and tried to steady his breathing, not quite sure what to do with his limbs that were thrumming with energy, wanting to get up and _run, away, dodge the call_. 

A hand wrapped round his own, fingers lacing with his, squeezing gently in a comforting way. “Hey. It’ll be alright.” 

“You don’t know that.” 

A knock of Craig’s shoulder against his. “Sure I do. I’m a physicist. I know everything.” 

Before he could laugh or continue the barbing conversation, the speakers lit up and started to sound with a ringing noise. He tightened his hold on Craig’s hand without thinking as he leant forward to answer the call, connecting to voice and video. 

It connected. The screen lit up black as the programme took a moment to register the videos. He saw himself and Craig in one frame, and he tried to school his face out of looking like a deer caught in headlights. Ike’s video connected. 

His little brother was sat there, brown eyes looking up and a wide grin forming on his round face. No one else was in the room with him at first glance, and he let out a breath he didn’t realise he was holding. 

_"Dude, try not to look ready to crap your pants for when I go get them, yeah?”_ Ike’s voice echoed through the speakers. 

“Fuck you,” Kyle spat out. He cleared his throat after his voice cracked. “Where are they?” 

_“I told them I’d call them when I got it all set up,_ _”_ he explained. _“I wanted to see you first.”_

Kyle felt a rush of affection for his little brother. “I missed you too. How’s things over there?” 

_“Not too bad. Same as always,”_ he rolled his eyes. _“Shelly’s moved back in. Don’t tell Stan. I don’t think he knows yet.”_

“Dude,” Kyle chuckled low. “Maybe he’ll be the next one spending the holidays here.” 

_“She’s pretty chill.”_

“Yeah, to you.” 

Ike’s eyes flickered to where Kyle presumed Craig’s face was on his screen. _“So, uh, this is him, yeah?”_

“Yeah,” Kyle confirmed. “This is Craig. Craig, this is my little brother, Ike.” 

_“Hey,”_ Ike waved at the screen. 

“Sup.” 

_“I, uh, I’ll go get mom and dad,”_ Ike said. _“Don’t go anywhere.”_

“I won’t,” Kyle promised. Ike looked unsurprisingly unconvinced. 

As silence settled over them, Kyle turned to look at Craig, who gave him what could only have been an attempt at a reassuring smile, but looked out of place on the man’s face. He appreciated the sentiment either way. 

“Your brother seems nice.” 

“He is,” Kyle agreed. “A little shit, but he’s pretty nice.” 

“Just like you then?” 

Kyle snorted and shoved the man despite his grin. Before he could respond, the screen was filled by new faces. 

One brown haired man, looking only vaguely interested in what was happening, and one red haired woman, who had a steely look on her face. 

Though when she looked at the screen, the steely looked seemed to melt into a warmer smile as she spoke: _“Oh, bubbe, it’s so nice to see you!”_

“It’s nice to see you too,” he agreed, and he found he meant it. “How’ve you been?” 

_“Fine, fine! Busy as always!”_ she was all hand gestures and facial expressions, as always. _“They always expect more and more at the office! They’re never satisfied! One day I’ll walk out on them, see how they fare without me!”_

He rolled his eyes at his mother’s words. It was a threat he’d heard before. “You love how much they need you.” 

_“Well, seeing as neither of my sons need me so much anymore, I might as well put myself to use somehow!”_ her eyes flickered the same way Ike’s had. He took her wordless prompt. 

“This is Craig,” Kyle gestured next to him. “I know you wanted to know about him, so…I figured you could meet him.” 

Craig raised a hand in greeting. “Hi, it’s nice to meet you.” 

He felt more nervous about this than he had about meeting Craig’s parents, though that might’ve been because he had more of a desire for his parents to like Craig. He wanted them to approve of this fake-boyfriend he had. 

This boy he had, that he liked very, very much. 

_“Isn’t that nice?”_ Sheila’s voice cooed out, and he could hear that it was sincere. _“Making time for us – I’m glad to see someone will make time for us!”_

Gerald finally spoke up, fixing his wife with a disapproving look. _“Honey, we spoke about this.”_

_“I’m not – I’m not being difficult,”_ she whispered, voice dropping as if to hide it from the mic. Kyle looked over their heads to see Ike sat on his bed watching the scene unravel. _“I’m just-!”_

_“So, Kyle,”_ Gerald cut her off before she could finish her sentence. _“How’s college going?”_

He wasn’t sure if that was a better conversation or worse. “It’s good. It’s – I’m enjoying it.” 

_“Good, good. I’m glad you finally settled on a major. Saves us wasting anymore – what?”_

Sheila shoved him roughly with a glare. _“Now who’s being difficult?”_

_“I’m not – it’s just a fact,”_ Gerald argued. _“If he spent all of this year with an undeclared major too, that’s two years, Shelia.”_

Kyle spoke up, raising his voice to stop the argument he was about to witness. “I heard Shelly has moved back in next door?” 

Gerald looked over his shoulder where Ike was, though Sheila took the bait: _“She has, she’s been coming round for din_ _ner on Wednesdays. It’s nice having her back, I didn’t think she would at first.”_

“She just pretends not to like everyone,” Kyle muttered. 

_“She’s a sweet girl.”_

“When she wants to be.” 

_“Oh, shush,”_ Sheila turned her attention back to the quiet man next to Kyle. _“Tell us a bit about this mystery man then. I saw you had a birthday recently?”_

Craig nodded. “Yeah, my parents came up to see us for it.” 

_“Well, happy belated birthday!”_

Gerald spoke up next. _“Are you the same age as Kyle?”_

“I am,” Craig confirmed. “We’ve share some classes.” 

“It’s how we met,” Kyle confirmed. 

_“You must be doing a science subject too, then?”_

Carig nodded. "Yeah, theoretical physics.” 

_“Oh, that sounds interesting,”_ Sheila said. _“You must be quite smart.”_

“Thank you, I, uh, I try?” 

Kyle felt the hand around his own tighten. 

“He is,” Kyle confirmed with only a small tinge of pride. “He’s helped me a few times with – uh...” 

Sheila’s brows raised, lips pursing into a line. 

“With some of the classes we shared.” 

_“Isn’t that nice?”_

Her tone promised it wasn’t. 

Gerald rolled his eyes. _“There’s nothing wrong with him getting help.”_

_“No, no, you’re right.”_

_“Besides, if he’s picked_ _something_ _he’s not had any experience with, it’s not surprising he needs help.”_

She scoffed. _“Is it me or you he’s avoiding?”_

Kyle grimaced at the question and began to curl in on himself. 

_"You said we shouldn’t talk about that right now.”_

_“Maybe I changed my mind,”_ she decided before turning to the screen again. _“I didn’t want to make things uncomfortable for your new boyfriend, but it’s something we need to talk about, Kyle.”_

“I’ve - I’ve not been-?!” 

He couldn’t even lie to deny avoiding them. Not when she was looking at him like that. 

_“There’s no shame in admitting you did something wrong,”_ her voice echoed calmly. _“But you can’t keep pretending you haven’t been. You didn’t even spend_ _Hanukkah_ _at home!”_

Kyle’s eyes cast downwards at his keyboard. Here it was. Here was the argument that had been slowly brewing. 

He wasn’t ready. 

He didn’t think he could do this. 

He was always a little weak when it came to his mother. 

“That was my fault.” 

He froze at Craig’s words. 

“I asked him to come home with my for the holidays,” Craig explained. “My parents...really wanted to meet him, and they’re not the most patient people.” 

_“I suppose next you’re going to take the blame for encouraging him into a course he didn’t know anything about too, then?”_

Kyle dared to look up at the screen, grimacing at the sight of his mother’s pinched brow and scrunched nose. It wasn’t anything compared to the frown on Craig’s face that promised he was trying to be on his best behaviour, but not for much longer. 

“Yeah, I’ll take the blame for that. Seeing him succeed at something he cares about is something I’m proud to say I helped with.” 

Kyle’s eyes blew wide and he looked behind his parents to his usual comrade in arms when it came to his parents. Ike was sat there, a little too far away to fully make out, but his attention was definitely trained on the scene in front of him rather than the phone in his hands. 

_"It’s a very sweet sentiment, but it’s not going to help if he gets bored of it half way through,”_ Sheila bit back. _“I’m sure you’ve had plenty of time to get to know each other swanning about at college, but I’ve_ _know_ _my_ _bubbeh._ _”_

“Did you know about me?” 

She stopped short. 

“Then there’s probably plenty you don’t know.” 

“Craig,” Kyle finally found his voice and attempted to break the fight. “You don’t need to fight my battles for me.” 

“It’s true, watching you succeed and do something that you were nervous about is something I’m proud of,” Craig insisted. “And I think it’s something everyone should be proud of you for.” 

“Craig, just stop.” 

The room fell silent. He could barely bring himself to look up at the man next to him, never mind the red-faced woman on the screen. He sucked in a breath as he spoke. 

“Go wait in the living room, alright?” he spoke barely above a whisper. “I’ll be out in a second.” 

He could feel the resistance, could even hear it in the word as Craig bit out a swift _‘fine’_ and stood, hesitating only a moment to squeeze Kyle’s shoulder. Kyle didn’t look up as he left, or even as the door closed behind him. He squeezed his eyes closed with the click of the door. 

There was only silence. He could barely summon the courage to open his eyes. 

_“Kyle...”_

He looked up at his father’s voice, seeing the creases in his head more pronounced, his lips pulled down. 

_“Is that why you’ve been avoiding us? Because you think we’re not proud of you?”_

He tried to channel that confidence with which Craig spoke to total strangers. The confidence he had himself when he spoke to people who weren’t his parents. “It’s true, isn’t it? You didn’t want me to pick Marine Biology. You didn’t really want me to pick the same college as Stan.” 

Sheila stood, moving off screen with the flapping of her arms. 

Kyle was left staring at his dad. 

_“Maybe...we haven’t been the most supportive of your decisions,”_ he admitted. _“But I wouldn’t say we weren’t proud of you. You’ve always been a bit headstrong, just like your mother.”_

He looked over to where she was stood, before turning back to Kyle. 

_“More than anything we don’t want you to feel like you have to avoid us, or lie to us.”_

It dug deep. Deeper than he expected it to. He thought of Craig, of the holiday he’d spent away. Of the fact he’d started this conversation with more avoidance and lies. 

_“You were always so on the fence about choosing Marine Biology, that we didn’t want you to make a decision you were going to regret. Something you weren’t headstrong about. Yes, we thought that maybe you shouldn’t have picked the same college as Stan just because of him, but you were so certain of it than we knew it was right for you.”_

“I really like him.” 

He wasn’t sure where it came from, and it caught him with a rush of embarrassment, but he kept going. 

“Craig. I - I really like him, a lot, and he makes me...he makes me feel confident in my decisions. In myself,” he admitted. “When I first got here and you told me to give it a bit of thought before I made my decision, I...I started to doubt myself. Being here with Stan is good, but...” 

But somewhere along the way, surrounded by all these people who were so talented, who seemed to know more than he did just like his mother had predicted... 

“Sometimes I feel like I don’t belong.” 

Sheila was back in view within seconds, and he realised the reason she had left was because of the wetness on her face. _“Don’t you ever feel like you don’t belong, my_ _bubbe."_

It caught him off guard. 

_“You might not be the most_ _knowledgeable right now_ _, but you’re the most talented, and you’ll be great.”_

He felt his nose begin to tingle as water pooled in his eyes. “I’m sorry I’ve been avoiding you. I think it’s just made things worse.” 

_“I think we’ve all got some things we might need to think about,”_ Gerald admitted. _“Don’t start crying now. Not when you’ve got to go back out there and face that boy you like so much.”_

_“I won’t pretend I approve!”_ Sheila snapped out. _“But I’m proud to be your mother.”_

“Thanks. It means a lot,” he admitted as a smile blossomed across his face. 

_“We won’t keep you now,”_ Gerald insisted. 

_“But make sure you ring more!”_ his mother added. _“I’m sick of hearing about my son through Sharon!”_

“I will. I promise.” 

He hoped he could keep it. 

With a quick goodbye he abandoned his computer and headed straight for the door, heading down the hallway, not wanting to leave Craig on his own for too long. Not after the man suffered through that uncomfortable video call for him. Not after what he’d said. 

The sight that greeted him was honestly kind of funny. 

Craig was waiting in the living room as instructed, brow pinched with his elbows on his knees, hands clasped together as he hunched over them. His shoulders were tense – his whole body was tense, and his expression was complicated to digest. Kyle couldn’t tell if he was angry, worried, or sad. Or who he felt those things at. 

Next to him sat Stan. Stan, who was clearly trying not to mimic Craig’s stance, leaning back against the couch with his arms crossed, worrying his lip between his teeth as he scowled down at the table the same as the man next to him, leg twitching in a classic Marsh habit. They were there together, yet it was something that was so foreign to see… 

He stifled a laugh and instead cleared his throat to announce his presence. Craig was on his feet in seconds, Stan leaning forward with his head up, two sets of eyes looking straight at him. 

“Mind if I talk to Craig for a minute?” 

“Please,” Stan was quick to say, darting off the couch and towards his room. “Yep. Great talk, Tucker, good luck.” 

“Yeah…” Craig spoke in response, but didn’t look away from Kyle. “Sure.” 

Kyle stepped forward. “Should we...sit down? Or would you rather stand?” 

“We can – yeah, sorry,” Craig sat back down where he had been, though he didn’t relax into the seat. 

Kyle sat next to him, trying to stifle his humour at the whole scenario. At least laughter didn’t come so easily, when he’d been close to crying. 

Silence descended over the pair, and Kyle tried to figure out where he should start when it came to unpacking the hot mess that he’d forced Craig to take part in. Spending time with the Tuckers...felt a lot less dramatic than twenty minutes with the Broflovski’s. 

“My dad hated Thomas, when we started dating.” 

Kyle snapped to attention at the words. “What? He never seemed like…” 

“He’s a private man. Sort of. I guess,” Craig grimaced. 

“Where you get it from, huh?” 

“Fuck off,” he sucked in a breath. “He didn’t…deal very well with the fact I was gay.” 

Now that…did surprise him. He never got the impression that Mr Thomas Tucker was homophobic; not in that way, at least. A couple of comments that weren’t exactly progressive of him, but outwardly upset about his son being gay? No way. 

“He didn’t want Thomas in the house for a long time. Started dragging the whole family to church again every Sunday, no excuses. Then stopped that, when Father Maxi stopped me one day to congratulate me on coming out and offered to speak to anyone in the congregation if they took issue. 

“It was…weird. He never said it to me directly, but I knew it. Trish knew it. We overhead him talking to mom about it one day.” 

When he fell silent for too long, Kyle tried to prompt him to continue. “What changed?” 

“I dunno, honestly. I’m glad for whatever it was. One day I was heading out to meet Thomas, and dad suggested afterwards he could come back for dinner if he wanted to. So he did, and dad was…fine. He was normal. He was probably a bit too on the nice side, as if he was trying to make up for it.” 

Silence fell across them again and Kyle made no move to break it this time. 

“I guess, what I’m saying is, sometimes parents make mistakes. They think they’re right, or that they knew what’s best for you, and then one day they realise what they did. Maybe they don’t apologise, and maybe they never quite get over being fucking embarrassing about it, but…they’re not always right.” 

Kyle quirked a brow. “He’s not that embarrassing.” 

“He fucking is,” Craig bit back. “But that’s not the point. We’re not – I wanted to make you feel better. I dunno if I did. Or if I just…talked about myself, instead.” 

He smiled down at the floor to try hide any sign of his swelling heart from showing on his face. “It did. Make me feel better.” 

“Good.” 

Silence descended over them again. 

“What...did they say?” 

“That maybe they hadn’t been super supportive,” he said. “That they were proud of me, and they did think I would be good at Marine Biology.” 

Craig’s whole being seemed to sigh, shoulders rocking forward as he eased back into the seat. 

“My relationship with them...has always been a bit complicated,” he admitted. “Dad’s a bit – standoffish at times, I get? He says I’m a lot like my mother. And that I freak out too easily, but he’s never been super critical. 

“My mom...she cares a lot. They both care a lot, and I love them. It’s just that when she cares about something she tends to get super involved. She’s very...opinionated.” 

“She’s a bitch.” 

“That’s my mom,” Kyle snapped to her defence. 

“It’s still true,” Craig muttered. 

“Maybe...a bit,” he sighed out. “We were super close when I was young, and as I got older and formed my own opinions that were different than hers...still, I shouldn’t have left it so long. Shit, now Ike’s gotta deal with the fallout.” 

"Are you and your brother close?” 

Kyle felt a soft smile spread across his face. “Sometimes when we were growing up, it’d be me and him against the world.” 

“It makes sense why you pushed for me and my sister to be closer.” 

He cocked a brow. “Because I’m so close to him?” 

“Because you seem so happy to be close to him.” 

“Yeah. I think you’re right.” 

Craig cleared his throat, looking down into his hands as he spoke. “I can...head off if you want me to, but if you don’t, I can hang out for a bit. I kept my night free. We can go to the bar, or just...watch a film. Whatever you want.” 

Kyle’s brows twitched up. “You trying to comfort me?” 

Steely eyes looked up, face unwavering as he spoke with confidence: “Yeah, I am.” 

A flush of heat shot straight up to his cheeks as his chest swelled. He swallowed a lump in his throat and attempted to keep steady eye contact. 

The corner of Craig’s lips twitched up. 

“A - a movie might be nice,” Kyle confessed. “Or a show, if you like comedy? I could go for some comedy right now.” 

“Yeah, me too.” 

“Do you mind...doing it here?” Kyle tried to hide his smile. “I don’t want to make you uncomfortable.” 

“Why would it...?” 

“You sure didn’t look comfortable when you were sat on the couch with Stan.” 

The mortified look that crossed Craig’s face was worth it. “Let’s - not get into that. We can watch it here. I’ve suffered through Marsh enough hanging about with you that...maybe he’s not so bad.” 

“Warming up to him, Tucker?” 

“Ugh,” Craig faked disgust through the smile on his face. “Keep that up and I’ll start dodging you too.” 

It was hours into the night when Craig finally left, summoned home by a ‘flat emergency’ by Tweek, which he made sound like it probably wasn’t that big of a deal. Kyle saw him to the door, lingering in the frame as they talked briefly through a long goodbye, before finally watching him walk down the street and shutting the door, resting his back against it. 

He let out a breath and tired to ignore the butterflies and happy swirls dancing circles in his brain and stomach. 

Shit, he had it bad. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been...super nervous about writing Shelia in this story. 
> 
> I honestly get nervous about writing her a lot, because she reminds me a lot of my granny, who I also had a complicated relationship with, and I worry about projecting too much. 
> 
> I hope it was still good!! 
> 
> The next chapter will be......the last.


	12. Chapter 12

The first thing he did to try and deal with his newfound feelings was to take the black NASA jumper and put it as deep in his wardrobe as he possibly could, to stop himself being tempted on wearing it. Part of him argued that he could probably just _give it back_ and be done with it, but he wasn’t ready to part with it yet. 

The next thing was to start hanging out with Craig with other people. If Craig noticed anything weird, he didn’t say. If Craig asked if he’d free, he’d blame his schoolwork keeping his busy, but suggest that Craig joined him in the library one day. That he studied best with other people and invited him to his sessions with Wendy. 

If he asked when Craig was free and the man specified if he was doing something with someone, Kyle would ask to go with them, instead of picking a day where they could be alone. He made special care not to involve Stan, both because he wanted to spare them each other, and because he knew his best friend would have a lot to say about it. 

Though that wasn’t to say they didn’t still end up alone sometimes. Wendy might leave the library early, and Kyle wouldn’t think too much about it until he and Craig were mumbling a quiet conversation between them like the rest of the room didn’t exist. 

Yet… 

He found himself looking forward to those moments. The opportunities for someone else to break the rules he was setting himself. Leaving him blameless and guiltless to enjoy torturing himself like that. Probing and bothering the man who would always sit next to him, completely unable to stop himself.

If there was ever anything Craig began to struggle with, Kyle would crowd in his space, wrist on the back of Craig’s chair as he angled towards the man and tried to help him with an equation. In his defence, Craig did the same back when they would get distracted by a video on their phones, shoulders pressed together and heads nearly knocking. 

Occasionally when they decided to finish, Craig would ask him: “Do you want to come back and watch a movie or something?” 

He would dodge out with something along the lines of: “I’m super tired, dude. I think I just want to eat and pass out. Maybe next time.” 

One evening Stan arrived home late after his board games club to find Kyle on the couch in the living area watching sitcoms with a blanket over his legs, and a forbidden jumper wrapped round his shoulders. 

“You lasted a long while.” 

Kyle groaned at the observation. “Don’t start, I already feel like some gross, lovesick teenager.” 

Stan laughed, moving to the couch and lifting up Kyle’s legs to make space for himself on the couch. “You did say it was a comfy jumper.” 

It was. Wearing the oversized, NASA sweater felt a little bit like wearing a hug. Though he wasn’t sure if that was just because of his nasty, romance-addled brain. 

“How was games club?” 

“It was good. We played a few shorter things tonight; Nichole got Snow Dogs super cheap online. You’d like it. Pretty fast pace.” 

“She should bring it round,” Kyle mused. “If I don’t have to set aside a whole day to play one of your games, it sounds like a win.” 

“How was the library?” 

“Tiring,” Kyle confessed. “Though I feel a little bit more like I know what I’m doing. I know you think I’ve been throwing myself at books as a distraction, but…I guess it’s helped me feel a bit more confident in class.” 

“I guess there are worse distractions.” 

He hummed in agreement and continued to mindlessly watch the sitcom playing on the screen. 

“Who were you there with?” 

He rolled his eyes at the airy, fake-disinterested tone. “Wendy and Craig. I didn’t realise they were as friendly as they are? Like, the way they talk about each other sometimes is so…not friendly?” 

“Yeah, I know what you mean. When I talked to Wendy about…well, y’know, before Token’s party, she seemed to know him well enough.” 

“No wonder she’s poking her nose at his friendship with Butters.” 

“Or lack of.” 

He resolutely did not comment further on any non-existent friendship between the two boys. One of the few things he hadn’t brought up to Stan from his time visiting Craig’s family over the break. 

“Are you…ready to talk about it yet?” 

“What?” 

“Everything, I guess. Craig. Your mom?” 

Kyle kicked his legs up onto Stan’s lap, shuffling to face his friend a little more. “Thanks for sitting with him after I kicked him out my room.” 

“I’d say I didn’t mind, but I totally did.” 

Kyle smirked. “I know. What did he…did you even talk, or did you just sit in silence?” 

“Has he not said anything about it?” 

He shook his head. 

Stan shrugged. “He…said he thought he’d fucked up, by speaking out of turn or whatever, but that it pissed him off so much seeing you…be so different around them?” 

“Mom and dad kept bickering. Y’know, how they do, like they were trying to stop themselves from starting an argument, and then she made a comment at Craig about my major, and he…yeah, he was pretty pissed off.” 

Stan scoffed. “I can’t say I blame him.” 

“But it resolved itself,” Kyle admitted. “Once I told him to wait in the living room…they said how they were proud of me and stuff. It was nice.” 

“They should be. You’re pretty amazing, dude.” 

Kyle picked at the cuff of the sweater. “Not amazing at this whole…Craig shit.” 

“Why don’t you just…ask him out?” Stan suggested. “He seems pretty into you, honestly.” 

“No offense, but I don’t think I trust you to be a Craig expert.” 

Stan huffed. 

“You’re not exactly two peas in a pod.” 

“So then what? You gonna keep moping around in his hoodie and avoiding one-on-one time?” 

“I-I’ve thought about asking,” he admitted as warmth surged in his cheeks. “But…it wasn’t that long ago he didn’t like me. I don’t wanna fuck up this friendship so early.” 

Stan’s hand found his ankle. “I guess…that makes sense. That you don’t wanna rush it. But maybe don’t put so much distance between you both.” 

“I just…” Kyle sighed out. “I don’t know what to do, Stan. If it’s anything like the situation with mom, the longer I leave it, the worse it’ll get. I dunno if I have to speak up.” 

“I have an idea.” 

“What is it?” 

“It’s…I’d need to plan it properly first,” Stan dodged his gaze, looking away. “You need to trust me on this one. Do you trust me?” 

“That depends,” Kyle drawled. “On what you’ve got to plan.” 

“You gotta trust me, dude,” Stan finally met his eyes with confidence. 

He pursed his lips in thought. 

“Do you wanna keep going on like this?” 

He didn’t, no. 

With a hefty sigh his shoulders sank and he found himself agreeing. “Fine, I trust you to…do whatever it is you want. It’s got to be better than nothing, right?” 

He hoped he wouldn’t regret it. 

\--

It came to ahead one afternoon when he had agreed to another study session with Craig and Wendy. He made sure to get there five minutes late, as normal, knowing that Wendy was usually pretty anal about being places on time, if not early. She was always securely the first one there, meaning less one on one time with Craig. 

This time, she wasn’t. 

She wasn’t even the second one there. Craig arrived and it was the first thing he sat next to Kyle, looking across the table where Wendy usually set up station. 

“Where’s Wendy?” 

“I dunno,” Kyle admitted. “She’s like, ten minutes late now.” 

“That’s not normal for her.” 

“Maybe I should text her,” Kyle decided, withdrawing his phone and bringing up their conversation. “In case anything-!” 

He cut off as a new message arrived before he could even think about typing one out first. 

_Sorry, can’t make it today!! Suck it up you big baby xx_

He was quick to close the phone and place it face down on the table. Stan had _totally_ _spoken to_ _her_. She was probably part of his _grand plan that Kyle still didn’t know._

“What?” 

“Huh?” 

Craig nodded his head to the phone. “What was that?” 

“Oh, uh, nothing. She’s not coming, can’t make it.” 

“Didn’t say why?” 

“Nope.” 

Craig narrowed his eyes, but didn’t push it further. “Alright. You’re not gonna ditch too, are you?” 

It was such an accusatory tone, that Kyle choked on his response. He couldn’t ditch, not when Craig was looking at him like a piece of gum on his shoe.

“I’ll take that as a no,” he decided, moving to withdraw the books he’d brought with them. “I’ll be quiet, I promise.” 

They were both quiet, for a good hour. 

By that point, Kyle was buried in his work enough that the panic and fear he’d felt before dissipated. Instead he found them falling into the routine that they normally would if Wendy had been there; helping each other just by listening to any problems that arose, sharing the snacks that Craig had snuck in, and the bottled water that Kyle had brought, heads down and fully in the books. 

It was like a chime, as soon as it hit an hour, Kyle’s concentration began to wane. 

“Craig-!” 

"Has it been an hour?” 

He startled at the response. “What?” 

Craig raised a brow, glancing up from his papers for only a moment. “You always get bored after an hour.” 

“Yeah, maybe,” he admitted. “But breaks are important. To rejuvenate your mind.” 

He looked up properly that time to give Kyle an unimpressed look. 

Kyle smiled back. 

“Alright, what do you want?” 

“I was just gonna ask how you were doing,” Kyle started, leaning over to peer at the pages Craig was crowding round. “You’ve been so quiet.” 

“No, I’ve been as quiet as I normally am. It’s just Wendy’s not here, so you’re not both gossiping to pass time.” 

“We don’t gossip.” 

“You totally do.” 

Kyle scowled. “You gossip more with her. She’s always chatting shit with you.” 

Craig rolled his eyes, though there was a smile on his face. He finally dropped his pen. 

Despite Craig’s drawling tone, he did go along with Kyle’s desire to take a break. They ended up on Craig’s phone, Kyle scrolling through his YouTube history and teasing the man about the excessive amount of cute guinea pig compilations. Craig to his credit didn’t seem embarrassed about it at all. 

Kyle made good work of screwing up his history tab though, as he began searching for his own preferred videos, causing Craig to laugh at the kind of shit that he watched during his free time, Unsolved mysteries and music videos. 

“What?” Kyle insisted. “They’re interesting!” 

“You’re such a fucking nerd,” Craig said, wide smile on his face. “Why am I so not surprised?” 

The sight caught Kyle’s breath in his face. 

Steely eyes crinkled at the side with the breadth of the smile on his face; wide with his teeth showing. There was such a genuine happiness about it that caused Kyle’s chest to swell with pride at knowing he’d been the one to cause it. 

Craig looked away as he attempted to smother his smile, turning his attention back to the phone in Kyle’s hands. 

Kyle wasn’t letting it go. 

“You should smile more.” 

Craig didn’t look up, but did respond. “I smile plenty.” 

“Not all, full teeth and everything. But you should. It’s nice.” 

Grey eyes flickered to his own. “It’s weird. I-I don’t like my smile.” 

“I do.” 

A lopsided smile. Softness in his eyes that had Kyle’s heart pounding. “Yeah?” 

He nodded. “Yeah. I do.” 

“Thanks, I guess.” 

“Sure thing, dude,” Kyle snapped his attention back to his phone, attempting to distract himself. “Here, let me show you this one that Stan found for me.” 

They paused only when Stan sent him a text asking him when they were due to finish at the library. He responded in kind and Craig returned to his work, lasting only another hour before they decided to break for lunch. Today, Craig didn’t offer for them to go together. 

“Token’s asked me to go back to the house,” Craig explained. 

“Oh,” he tried not to sound disappointed. Would he even have agreed if he was asked? “That’s fine. I’ll catch you later then?” 

“Yeah. Catch you later.” 

He returned to the flat to find it empty. He started to go about his day as normal; put away his college things, got himself some food, scrolled through his phone for a little while. He received a text at some point from Stan, opening it with a scowl on his face. 

_Hey_ _wanna_ _come meet me at Token’s? We’re doing a thing_

He was instantly suspicious. _What thing?_

_Oh_ _you know just a thing_

_No, I don’t know._

_Trust me it’ll be worth it_

The words triggered the memory of his conversation from a few days before with Stan, where the man spoke about his plan to help Kyle. It left an unsettled feeling in his stomach. 

Curiosity won out. 

He knew that Craig would be there, because he had said Token had asked him to go back. Which meant there was a good chance that Token had something to do with Stan’s plan, if that is what this was. It meant he at least put some effort into his appearance, changing his shirt from what he had been wearing at the library, and making sure his hair was still styled okay before he left.

He wasn’t prepared for what awaited him. He walked up the front of the house, seeing Stan stood outside, dressed in a black button up and black jeans. He lead Kyle into the house, not answering any questions and just trusting the redhead to follow him. 

“Alright, here we are,” Stan gestured to the open door that lead to the living room. “Take your seat.” 

What was waiting for him sent his head spinning. 

It was a date set up. They had transformed the living room into a cute date set up, full on with a single round table, piano in the corner, and mood lighting, with Craig sat at the table looking _unfairly_ attractive. 

Kyle grabbed Stan’s arm and pulled him back down the hallway so he could rip his best friend apart. 

“Stan you _cannot_ be serious.” 

“I am,” and judging from the firm look on the man’s face, he really was. 

“When you said you had an idea this is absolutely _not_ what I had in mind. That’s - you’re setting us up on a date?!” 

“Look, you said that you didn’t know what to do, but that you thought the longer you left it the worse it’d get, but you also didn’t wanna ask him out on a date, so…” Stan gestured through the window. “You don’t have to ask him!” 

“I was worried that I would rush things and fuck up the friendship!” Kyle threw his arms in the air. “How is this not-?!” 

"C'mon dude, we've worked so hard. And we were right last time! When we forced you to make friends properly! I'm pretty confident that we're right on this." 

"What if you're not?" 

“You guys have already complained once about us meddling, right? If I’m wrong – which I’m not – and he really isn’t that into you, then you can just…blame it on us!” 

“There are so many flaws in this plan. This is the _worst plan_.” 

“I wouldn’t leave him waiting in there too long. He might start to get antsy.” 

“How did you even…?” 

Stan shrugged. “I uh, I may have blackmailed him a little bit.” 

“You _what_?!” 

“Why don’t you ask him? It’ll be a good…conversation starter.” 

“What, asking him what it is my best friend blackmailed him with?!” 

“Yeah!” Stan agreed with a chipper smile. “You’ve got it!” 

Before Kyle could argue anymore, Stan dragged him back to the door and shoved him in. 

They…had really went all out. 

If he didn’t _know_ he was walking into the living room of the house, he wouldn’t have recognised it. How they managed to transform without alerting Craig was beyond him. Or maybe they didn’t, maybe that was part of the blackmail condition. 

There were fairy lights, muted mood lighting, what smelt like scented candles and low music filling the room. In the centre of it all was a table for two set up, dark table cloth that had two wine glasses and a menu in the centre of the table. On one side was an empty chair, and on the other was Craig. 

He sat himself down at the table for two, busying himself getting comfortable before he was willing to look up at Craig. The look on the man’s face was…kind of endearing. 

He looked as grumpy as ever, brows pulled together with what could only be described as a pout on his lips. He wasn’t looking at Kyle yet, and the redhead took full advantage to study his face. There was a dusting of pink across his cheeks that Kyle could fully understand. The whole situation was…embarrassing. 

Before he had a chance to say anything, someone was stood by the table, and Kyle had to stop himself smacking his palm to his forehead. 

“Good evening, good sirs,” drawled Kenny, dressed in a full waiter’s uniform. “Can I interest either of you in some drinks?” 

“Yes,” Craig ground out, eyes leaving the table long enough to glare at the blonde. “A bottle of vodka, and maybe some sleeping pills.” 

“Sleeping pills, sleeping pills…mm, ‘fraid we don’t have any of those. How about a bottle of wine, instead?” 

“Anything that will make this go faster.” 

Kenny turned to Kyle with his customer service smile. “And you?” 

“I’ll have what he’s having,” Kyle muttered as he leant his cheek into his palm. “One bottle of wine each, thanks.” 

“I’ll start you with one between you, how about that? White or red?” 

Craig glared. “Oh, so we get to choose the colour of our wine at least?” 

“Just – bring us the red,” Kyle requested. “Thanks.” 

Kenny’s smile widened. “You got it. One bottle of red, coming up! I’ll let you look at the menu while I get your drinks.” 

Kyle waited for Kenny to saunter back off towards the kitchen where he caught sight of Wendy’s long black hair before he spoke. 

“Do they really not have anything better to do?” 

“Fuckin’ load of procrastinating assholes,” Craig muttered with agreed distain. “Token got me to come home and then locked me in my room, put a chair under my door handle so I couldn’t get out my room while they set up all – this!” 

“Are they really going to make us sit through an entire meal?” Kyle mused as he grabbed the menu to check what it said. “Just desserts. Right, that’s…not so bad, right?” 

Craig pulled at the top of the menu, peering over the top. “What desserts? Have they actually given us options?” 

“Yeah, they have. See?” 

“I was expecting to just…get what I was given,” Craig admitted. “Oh, shit, I wonder if all these will still be in my kitchen once this is over.” 

“Someone might claim them to take them home. Or, they might eat what we don’t…order?” 

“They don’t deserve it.” 

Kyle’s lips pulled into a smirk. “There’s an easy way to stop them getting it…” 

He waited for Kenny to reappear with a bottle before looking up with a faux-innocent smile. “I think we’re ready to order.” 

“Yeah? What are you having?” 

“One of everything, please.” 

Kenny stopped for a moment, looking down at Kyle with a raised brow. “One of everything?” 

“Yep.” 

“Who am I to judge?” Kenny shrugged it off as he took the menu off Kyle. “I’m just a lowly waiter. One of everything it is, sirs!” 

The pair of them watched Kenny head back to the kitchen, seeing heads poking through the gap in the door. As Kenny disappeared there was silence, before someone gave a cry of alarm. 

“They can’t have it all!” came Cartman’s distinctive voice. “You promised me-?!” 

“Shut _up_ ,” hissed Stan. “I’ll get you KFC tomorrow, I promise.” 

The voices became too low to hear after that, drowned out by the sound of the music playing from the stereo setup in the corner. Craig let out a sigh through his nose as he turned back round and met Kyle’s eyes. 

Kyle cleared his throat. “So...uh, Stan said he...blackmailed you?” 

Craig gave him a scathing glare. “I wonder how he managed to get dirt on me, huh?” 

“I wasn’t expecting this when I told him about the holiday. I was kind of just...expecting him to keep it all to himself.” 

“I guess he has. Did you tell him...?” 

“Not everything,” Kyle confirmed. “Not about the people who lived there.” 

Craig’s shoulders visibly sagged. 

“I don’t think that’d have helped my argument that you weren’t a total asshole.” 

A half hearted smirk passed across his face. “Dick.” 

“Do you know who’s in there?” 

“I think so?” Craig glanced over his shoulder again, where the kitchen door was still open a crack. “I know Token and Tweek are, and then your _asshole trio_.” 

“And Wendy.” 

“Ugh, Wendy.” 

“You’re friends with Wendy,” Kyle insisted. 

“No matter how many times your say it, it’s not going to be true.” 

Kyle rolled his eyes despite the smile on his face. 

Before he could speak up, the kitchen door opened. The pair turned and watched in muted horror as three of their friends entered the room, one heading towards the piano, and two with guitars. Craig snapped his head to look at Kyle, who gave a helpless shrug. 

Stan sat down and got comfortable with his guitar, as Kenny spoke up from his own seat. “And now for some live music, while you wait for your food.” 

“Does this mean Wendy and _Cartman_ are in charge of getting our food ready?” Kyle whispered, eyeing Stan, Kenny, and Token. 

“Fuck, I hope not. I hope it’s Tweek getting it ready and they’re just...existing somewhere.” 

And then they started playing, thankfully with none of them singing; not that he didn’t know they were perfectly fine at it, he just knew that Stan and Kenny had peculiar music tastes. It was probably killing his best friend to play slow paced, classic love songs. 

This was...he couldn’t believe this was happening. 

He turned his gaze back to the table, not quite able to meet Craig’s gaze. 

“I take it you weren’t blackmailed here?” 

“Uh, no, I wasn’t...really told what was happening. And Stan doesn’t need to do much to convince me of things, honestly,” he lied. “I’m guessing they needed a way to stop you leaving through your window though.” 

Craig scoffed. 

“This is...really weird. Don’t they have classes to study for?” 

Craig made a low humming noise that finally drew Kyle’s eyes up, only to find the dark haired man was looking at him already, resting his cheek on his fist. “They do. This is a new low, as far as putting their work off goes.” 

“I know. I thought they’d done meddling in our business.” 

“Apparently not,” Craig’s face turned a little sour. “I used to really appreciate the fact that Token respected my privacy, and now all of a sudden he’s as bad as my fucking mother.” 

There was a particularly loud note played on the piano, and Craig responded by raising his middle finger. 

“Fuckin’ knew you were listening, assholes.” 

“Let’s just...try to get through this,” Kyle suggested. “And then maybe we’ll have proven whatever it is that they need proving.” 

Craig shrugged, reaching for the bottle of wine that was still sat in the centre of the table. “Table service here is shit. Didn’t even pour my glass for me.” 

Kyle grinned across the table. “Shocking, really. Fuck knows what the food’s gonna be like. We should’ve booked a different set of friends.” 

That drew an honest smile out of Craig, who snorted with laughter as he poured out two glasses, as full as he could feasibly make them. 

Kyle raised his glass in a cheers. Craig knocked them together, and the sound of the clink put the redhead’s mind at ease, just a little bit. 

It was Wendy and Cartman who brought out their desserts, dressed in a similar attire to Kenny, though hadn’t managed to get hold of aprons. She gave a warm smile as she tried to squeeze the plates onto the table, juxtaposed against Cartman’s scowl. 

“We halved everything,” she admitted. “Because it wouldn’t all fit on the plates.” 

“And you don’t deserve it all. You didn’t even pay for it.” 

She hissed across the table and the pair scarpered back towards the kitchen, soon followed by the three playing instruments as the song they were playing came to a close. Kyle couldn’t help but give a slow clap as they finished up, laughing as Kenny turned and gave an all too dramatic bow. 

The whole thing was so absurd, yet Craig had loosened up. He chattered easier, reaching across the table with his fork to take pieces of cake off the plate in front of Kyle, instead of waiting to be offered like a normal person. Kyle would snap at the action, chasing him away and attempting to clash their forks together. 

“You can just ask,” he insisted. “I can give you some.” 

“Yeah, or I can take it.” 

Kyle decided to do the same, reaching out and taking a large chunk out of the cheesecake on Craig’s plate, who laughed as the redhead stuffed the whole thing in one bite. It ended up giving him hamster cheeks, but seeing that toothy smile on Craig’s face made it worth looking a little like a fool. 

His appreciation must’ve shown on his face, because once Craig looked at him properly, he tried to calm his smile down and hide his teeth. Kyle attempted to speak to tell him off, though it didn’t sound too intelligible through the cake in his mouth. 

“Gross, dude, chew your fucking food,” Craig scolded, though the toothy grin was back. “You’ve got-!” 

“Huh?” 

“Here,” Craig leant over the table, wiping a thumb across the corner of Kyle’s mouth. 

The touch, however small, was enough to rise Kyle’s temperature, eyes skittering about Craig’s face as the man concentrated. Once he finished he seemed to register what he did, sitting back with a flush in his cheeks. 

“Sorry if-?” 

“I don’t mind,” Kyle assured. “Thanks.” 

“Sure, no problem.” 

Kyle looked down at his plate and tried not to smile. 

They continued to finish the food and Kyle was the one who reached out and filled their glasses that time, Craig groaning as he leant back in his seat. Kenny and Wendy appeared to start clearing the plates up, the former with a lot more experience waiting tables as he stacked the plates expertly. 

“I think I’m gonna have a sugar coma,” Craig admitted. “Wine doesn’t help. I fucking hate wine.” 

“Why are you drinking it?” 

“Because he wouldn’t give me vodka and sleeping pills, duh.”

Kyle sniggered. “Wonder why?” 

The look that crossed Craig’s face was half way between amused and soft when Kyle met his eyes, and he found himself a little lost for conversation. He allowed himself one moment of guilty pleasure, sat in this room just the two of them, low lighting and glasses of wine, soft music playing in the background. 

He licked his lips and tried to settle the way his heartbeat picked up. 

The moment was ruined as the music finished and a new song didn’t play, highlighting the noise from the kitchen. He peered round Craig to look at the gap the door created. 

“No, that’s too gay, fuck, don’t be such a fucking girl.” 

“I _am_ a girl.” 

Cartman and Wendy. Of course. 

“Would you two stop it?!” hissed a tense voice that Kyle pinned to Tweek. “You’re ruining the mood!”

“Just - give it here.” 

Token, to finish the argument and play a random song. 

The tension that had left the man opposite him returned, the irritation in his brow, eyes turned back down to his hands as he spun his glass round. 

He felt...guilty. 

“This is my fault.” 

Craig looked up, raising a brow in silence. 

Kyle flushed and sucked in a breath as he prepared himself. “Stan…he said he had a plan to help me, and I agreed, even though he wouldn’t tell me what it was. I should’ve known it would be something dramatic like this.” 

Dark eyebrows pulled together. “This is why he’s an asshole.” 

“Yeah, I’m with you on this one.” 

“What’s this helping you out with?” 

“I…wasn’t gonna tell you, but…” Kyle grimaced, glancing towards the door that lead to where their friends were hiding. “Apparently our friends are enjoying using us as a distraction too much, and they’re really embarrassing.” 

“They are. They’re really embarrassing, and I hate it.” 

“So, I kind of have a crush on you?” 

Craig’s brows rose, eyes widening, as he stared at Kyle. 

Kyle, who began to panic, so began to talk. “I mean, at first I chalked it off to just, y’know, our friendship started in a weird way so maybe it was just that, but I’ve realised that nope, I definitely like you, but I didn’t really want to ask you on a date because, well, it wasn’t that long ago that you actively like…didn’t like me at all, so I thought maybe it wasn’t worth putting that on the line over-?” 

“I do like you.” 

Kyle’s jaw snapped closed fast enough that his teeth made an audible clack. 

“I like you,” Craig’s lips curled up into a smile. “I didn’t want to…overwhelm you with all the other shit that's been going on. Or freak you out. So I thought maybe I should…let you pace it.” 

“Yeah, I did freak out a little bit,” he admitted. “But I didn’t like, totally freak out.” 

“Dude, you’ve been avoiding me for like, days.” 

“I’ve not been avoiding you!” Kyle defended. “I’ve seen you loads!” 

“Yeah, with other people,” Craig teased as his smile turned into a smirk and he leant forward. 

“So what, you’ve known and just didn’t say anything?” 

“I…didn’t know definitely. I had my doubts,” he admitted. “But I was pretty sure. It’s why I was so annoyed that _this_ happened,” he snarled. “I thought if anything was gonna freak you out, it’d be some bullshit like this.” 

“I’m not freaking out. Not anymore.” 

“Good.” 

“How...how long have you known you liked me?” 

Craig looked down in an attempt to hide the flush on his face. “I - it’s hard to say. I kind of, how did you say? Chalked it up to the way we started at first, too. But then the feelings stayed even when we got back. When did...?” 

“After your birthday,” Kyle admitted. “Stan called me out on it when I got you to come help with his car.” 

Craig smirked. “Took you longer, then.” 

“What? How? You didn’t give an exact-?” 

“I’m pretty sure it was around the time I saw you in my jumper in the library,” he admitted. “I wasn’t planning on going to your basketball game until I couldn't get it out my head.” 

Kyle huffed out, feeling like he’d lost. 

“Are you gonna stop avoiding me now?” 

“Yeah, I am,” Kyle’s smile widened. “I’d like to.” 

“Can...can I...?” 

He watched as Craig’s cheeks darkened, eyes flickering down to Kyle’s lips. He didn’t need to finish the sentence for Kyle to know what he was asking. The redheaded nodded. 

The angle wasn’t the best, he’d admit it. Not the best they’d had at least. Stretching across the small table, resting on elbows. His eyes slipped shut as Craig got closer and waited for the touch. 

It may not have been the best angle, but it still wasn’t disappointing. 

Lips touching his own set off a bolt of electricity. He wasn’t sure if it was different, knowing that there were _feelings_ that were reciprocated involved, or if it was just like the last time. The feelings had always been there. Just not...out in the open. 

He pulled back, smiling as Craig followed his movement as if to chase the touch. He opened his mouth to speak, only to find a hand wrap round the collar of his shirt and yank him forward. 

The kiss was a little rougher that time. Electricity that was just a little more charged. 

He gave a low noise of protest as he pulled back. “This isn’t comfy.” 

“Come here then.” 

He didn’t need to be asked twice. 

He stood and moved round the table, not waiting to be say before he leant down to kiss the man again. Hands moved to his waist to guide him onto Craig's lap, table shaking a little as his knee knocked it when he moved to straddle his partner. Neither of them spared it a glance. 

He could honestly get used to the way that Craig’s hands would wander while they kissed. He could get used to the way the silky black hair moved between his calloused fingers. He could get used to the stormy pools that were locked on his own whenever he pulled back. 

A loud crash from where the kitchen was had Kyle pulling back long enough to speak. 

“Do you not wanna go somewhere that isn’t this shitty fucking setup?” 

“My room,” Craig decided. “C’mon.” 

Kyle lead the way, dragging the other man by the wrist towards the door that he knew lead towards his room. There was the sound of increasing noise from the kitchen as there was a low whine from Kenny and Wendy that they’d been scared off, drowned out by the sound of his so-called super best friend wolf-whistling, Token’s laughter sounding over clapping. 

He honestly couldn’t bring himself to care once the door was closed and they were locked in their own little world. 

\--

That summer, Craig drove them to the airport to say goodbye for the semester. 

It was nice having someone see him off, whispering low in his ear confessions that he would be missed. An offer that he could always ditch and go home with Craig instead. As tempting as it was he promised his parents he would be home for at least one of the holidays. 

He promised that he’d miss his boyfriend too, sealing it with a kiss that lasted a bit too long and roughly to be totally innocent. It was no surprise that it was Stan who broke them up, yelling from his safe distance away from the lovesick pair. 

“Kyle, c’mon, we gotta go!” 

The redhead pulled back from the man’s arms, smile on his face as he looked up at Craig’s glaring face. “He’s right, I don’t wanna miss the flight.” 

“Doesn’t mean I have to be happy about it.” 

“Tell your family hi for me, yeah?” Kyle requested. “I’ll call you when we land.” 

“You better. I’ll text you when I get there.” 

“Yeah?” 

“Yeah. I promise.” 

Kyle reached up again to press another firm kiss to his boyfriend’s lips. The sound of Stan whining behind him made him laugh into the kiss however. 

“I’m gonna go.” 

“Do you have to?” 

“Yes,” Kyle insisted with a laugh. “I’ll see you again soon.” 

Craig ghosted their lips together, though instead of a kiss, it was to whisper low where only he could hear it. “Love you.” 

“Love you too.” 

Craig waited there as they headed towards airport security, and Kyle looked over his shoulder to wave at the last possible moment. Getting onto the plane was a breeze, even if it had been a while since he’d done it. It always helped his nerves when it came to flying when the pair of them were together, even if Stan did get all kinds of airsick if they hit any turbulence. 

“You ready?” Stan asked as they buckled into their seats. 

Kyle nodded and turned to his best friend. “Ready as I’ll ever be. If it gets too much I might just book a flight over and stay with Craig’s family for the rest of the holidays. His mom’s a good cook.” 

“Ugh, not without me your not,” Stan muttered. “I don’t care if it’s Craig, you’re not ditching me this time. Shelly _lives there_ now. Like, fully.” 

Kyle laughed at that. “Let’s hope for a smooth holiday then. I don’t wanna have to try convince Craig to let me bring you with me to visit.” 

“You could convince him to do anything, for sure.” 

As promised, he called Craig when they landed, catching the man half way back home stopping off for food. When Craig got back to South Park he received a text in confirmation that he’d arrived safely. 

It didn’t surprise him that on the first video call they set up there was a red faced Craig, his family in the background of the room to greet Kyle, each with their varying probing questions about his wellbeing, if he’d seen the game the night before, and if he could come with Craig next time because he was being ‘even more of a mopey loser than usual’. 

He couldn’t have stopped the happy laughter that bubbled in his chest if he tried, feeling the warmth of the strange family despite not even being there. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And...that's it folks!! 
> 
> I'm genuinely so sad to finish this story (and I'm guessing that's why I've got so many mixed feelings on this chapter). The end I knew I wanted to be with their friends meddling, bcs college is stressful and I remember using many excuses to distract myself when I was at uni. 
> 
> But I DEFINITELY knew it needed to end with mention of the Tuckers, after they played SUCH a big part in this story. I hope that it was a satisfying end to the story!! And I hope you all enjoyed it <3 <3 thank you for sticking with me!!!


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